Luster the Cat: Season 2
by UltraQuest
Summary: Luster is back! After being ensnared into the second Chaos Control that managed to engulf him whole, Luster is transported to a brand new world...and the hospitality is fantastic. Only trouble is, how will he get back to his own dimension? Set right after Chapter 69 of Season 1.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I do not own, neither do I claim to own, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, or the Dragon Ball Z franchise. Neither do I own any branch, spin-off or anything pertaining to the two series. SEGA owns Sonic, and Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation and FUNimation all own DBZ._

_Claimer: On the flip side, I am the owner of Luster the Cat, Megan the Wolf, Jack the Cat, Entity, Quill and that one villain in Power of Unknown, and all the original Eggman robots that appeared in Season 1. Contact me if you want to use any of these characters or ideas in your work._

* * *

Well...where to begin? I should really start from the top.

Hello there, my name is Luster. Luster the Cat. I'm a seven year old, light blue Mobian cat born on the planet Mobius. I was created inside a small, rickety wooden home just outside a forest, facing the bright blue ocean. My mother, Megan, was the greatest mum you could ever have. She always made food for me and my father - three meals a day, and the occassional snack. She had strong beliefs, and always wanted me to have a great life, even risking her own to protect me.

My father was just the same. He never cooked, though he always used to take me out to the forest to collect food along the lines of: berries, mushrooms, berries, and more berries. Man I love berries. It had to be because berries were so common and so easy to grow, is why we almost always had them. Good taste, I gotta say. Anyway, Jack taught and trained me, teaching me how to effectively move across forests by swinging on the vines. I wasn't fast, and I wasn't strong, though I was pretty good at dodging. I still am, huh?

It was because of those two that I still exist. Whenever I was sad, they were there for me. Whenever I was happy, they were there for me. Whenever I was...okay, you probably got the picture by now. The fact of the matter is, that they cared for me like parents should. If your parents weren't/aren't like that, then there's some issues on how they're raisin' ya'.

Nothing lasts forever, however. Good things last even shorter.

If they were so good to me, why did they have to go? Why? Please tell me...someone, please...there has to be an answer. Parents don't just go like that. They stay, forever. They don't die. They shouldn't die. WHY DID THEY DIE?

*sob*

S-sorry...didn't mean to burst like that...it's just, it's just a horrible experience. One that shouldn't have to happen...but it did, for no reason AT ALL. It not only begs the question of why, it SCREAMS it.

I was so depressed when those bullets pierced the furred bodies of my mummy and daddy, blood spurting out the back and loitering the ground. It was a nightmare...a real, living, live nightmare that I couldn't escape from. Just the memory of that time is a constant pain at the back of my mind, torturing my very self day by day.

Though, in my time of need, while one of Eggman's (or Robotnik (I didn't know who he was back then)) robots was ready to end me, my two lights in the darkness arrived. A blue blur tore right through the killer machine, revealing himself to be Sonic the Hedgehog, the best guy you'll ever meet. He and his two-tailed fox friend, called Tails, took me to their home, where I was looked after with the greatest of security. Sonic and Tails would then begin to protect me through many tiring and dangerous battles without death.

Nobody died, and everybody lived. Er, save for some people during the Chaos incident. Yeah, some of them died, but most of the citizens lived, which is good.

I'm the kind of person that sits in the back, letting the heroes do all the work and chipping in from time to time. I love helping my friends on anything, no matter what it was. Recently, that made my downfall.

You see...

_Fallen Hero_

_I can use this...Eggman wouldn't want to destroy his own thing, right? the cyan cat wondered, sprinting over to the sliced-in-unequal-proportions machine and jumping ontop of it, waiting for the doctor to attack._

_"DIE! YOU WILL DIE!" Eggman yelled, forgetting about everything and focusing on just the little target below. With one fell downwards stab, Luster was killed._

_Oh, sorry. The Chaos Emerald Storage Machine was annihilated, not Luster. He was fine, just standing right next to the wreckage of the machine, mocking the once glorious mechanic._

_This was it. The Egg Ender was over. Done for; nada. Silence filled the room, as an explosion followed the desruction of the machine. Egg Ender spontanteously combusted, turning into nothing but ash and scrap pieces of burnt metal. Eggman and the Egg Mobile however, were okay, as revealed when the doctor climbed out of the wreckage of the once devilish robot._

_Suddenly, before anyone could say anything - before any comments or shouts were made - a bright white light emerged from the machine._

_"YOU FOOL! DO YOU NOT REALISE WHAT YOU'VE DONE BY DESTROYING THAT?!" Eggman shouted, knowing full well what this light was._

_"No? But what does it matter? I beat you!" Luster celebrated, jumping in joy._

_"NO, YOU DOLT! Well that is true and all but YOU'VE CAUSED CHAOS CONTROL!" Eggman replied, dusting off the ash from his trusty hovering creation._

_Dooming Chaos_

Yeah. I made Eggman attack his own machine, which then caused Chaos Control - a pure blinding light that teleports ya somewhere. With all seven Chaos Emeralds in that machine, the control was so powerful, it could send you to an alternate dimension.

Which it did. I got hit by the wide, white light range of the Chaos Control, and now I'm currently teleporting to some unknown world. Could be Mobius, but...feels different. Doesn't feel like I'm teleporting to Mobius. I'm probably goin' to some weird, backwards universe with flying cars and stuff, who knows?

If I were to gather the seven emeralds and cause my own Chaos Control, I can be sent back, right? So yeah, there's my plan for when I land in this dimension. Just hope I can get back safely...I don't wanna end up dying. I wanna return to my friends.

And I will. Mark my words, alternate universe! I will-

*THUMP*

_Arrival_

Night time was erect in the barren wasteland belonging to the strange new world. A turquoise animal lay on the ground, sticking out like a sore thumb among the planet. Several dinosaurs were focusing on the strange sight; as they had never seen a Mobian before. Sure, they had witnessed super-powered human lookalikes and a tall green man at several points in time, and other anthropomorphic animals, but never someone like this. They didn't know what to call it, or what to name it by.

Soon, their attention was shifted towards the abnormal gaze of eight brightly coloured gems with respectively coloured auras shooting up into the air from nearby the body, and blasting into several corners of the planet. This confused the primitive animals, as they knew of only seven ancient spheres of great power. What sort of relation could these gems and spheres have? Was it something to do with this stranger?

In the background, while the dinosaurs continued to stare and roar at the body in confusion, two people slowly descended onto a nearby mountain, having seen the sight of the gems from far away. The seemingly younger one wore an orange gi, with a dark coloured belt of sorts holding the piece of clothing together. He also had umkempt, pointy hair that resembled his father's. The much older person wore the same kind of gi, albeit with a slightly darker shade and similar shaded belt. He had a light peach complexion and was also rather muscular, wielding tidier, yet also slightly pointy hair.

"Goten, do you see what that is?" the taller person asked, pointing towards the peculiar body.

"No, big brother, where?" the smaller person, know known as Goten, wondered, desperately looking over the area.

"You see where the dinosaurs are? Near there, you'll see some kinda light blue animal. What is it?" Gohan instructed, lowering his arm.

It appears these two are brothers, outside only because of this.

"Oh! That! Heh, it does kinda look weird. I wanna get closer to it!" Goten asserted, forming some kind of energy aura around him and blasting towards the fallen body, breaking the rules of gravity along the way.

"Goten...can't ya sit down for at least a minute?" Gohan sighed, following his youger sibling.

The two gravity-defiers landed in front of the cyan body, taking in the strangeness and out-of-this-world look the body had. It was like nothing they had ever seen before.

And they've been to different planets. Well, Gohan has, anyway.

"I wonder what kind of animal it is! Looks kinda like a cat," Goten pointed out, inspecting the body.

"Probably is. We'll bring it back to the house and have it rest until it can walk again," Gohan agreed, planning. "Mum probably won't like it. She won't understand."

"We can't just leave him out in the open like this! He could be really hurt...and I don't want my first pet being hurt!" Goten stated.

Said animal was unconscious, so it couldn't hear a word of what was being chucked around verbally. But, if it were to be awake to hear Goten call it a pet, it probably wouldn't be too happy.

"Exactly. I'll take him, you follow me," Gohan nodded, picking up the creature. "Don't go too slow, okay? You might lose track of me. Then again, you can always sense where I am. Come on, let's go."

The two boys began to leave the scene, body of a fallen cyan furred Mobian in their hands with no true idea on what he really is. Only speculation ran through their minds, as they returned to their home.

_Sudden Hospitality_

It looks like Luster has appeared in some kind of alternate universe that isn't Earth or Mobius! Who are Gohan and Goten? Where are the Chaos Emeralds? Find out next time on...Luster the Cat!

* * *

_Come slide down rainbows in the sky, let's fly away!_

_Like a bird, you're free to see the boundless face of the Earth!_

_Let the wind blow you like a kite,_

_and glide away!_

_Far beyond the clouds,_

_You'll find another place!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_Sparking!_

_Zooming round and round_

_The endless sky like a coaster!_

_Hold on tight, or you may find yourself trapped in a maze!_

_When that happens,_

_You may think you won't ever find your way_

_As the paths that you may take_

_All seem the same!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the night!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_AH, HA, AH, HA! Cha-La!_

* * *

_**Author Notes: **_**Season 2 is here! Luster's slipped into the DBZverse thanks to the Chaos Control from Chapter 69 of Season 1. For the ending song, I didn't make it. It's an official translated version of Cha-La-Head-Cha-La, the original Japanese opening theme for Dragon Ball Z, and I'm borrowing it for Season 2's theme. Well, the DBZ part of it, anyway.**

**Imagine Sonic speeding along the countryside surrounding Station Square, as Tails and Luster begin to catch up. He grabs onto their hands, and rushes ahead Sonic Heroes intro style. Then, the camera pans over the skyline of Station Square, as Tails carries Luster and Sonic through the city in the X-Tornado, passing by Amy, Cream, Cheese and Chris whom are waving at the plane from the ground. Suddenly, Dr. Eggman with Decoe and Bocoe appears, shooting down some of the buildings, creating a large amount of smoke and rubble. Then, Sonic, Tails and Luster counter Eggman's forces with some bullets of their own. A shot of Ella, Tanaka, Mister Stewart and Sam Speed appears, with Knuckles punching right through the robot that's chasing them, posing to the camera. The seven Chaos Emeralds then shoot through the city, circling around the various buildings and reaching the battle site. The Master Emerald is then seen resting on it's altar in Angel Island, with spirits of Tikal, Chaos and some Chao just next to it. Shadow and Rouge arrive in the city battle, skillfully taking out numerous robots with Sonic giving his darker counterpart a thumbs-up. Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, Amy and Tails are then seen taking on countless infantry, with Knuckles absorbing some of the Master Emerald's power to get stronger temporarily. The heroes use their most infamous techniques, while Sonic continues to fight Eggman with difficulties. The camera pans to Luster, who appears to be slightly older. He uses some kind of energy attack to remove Eggman from the city, and smiles because of it.**

**This intro ends with Sonic Spin Jumping into the middle of the group of characters, as Tails is next to him on his right; Luster is on his left; Amy is next to Luster; Tanaka and Ella are behind the previous two; Stewart and Sam are on Sonic's right, behind Tails; Shadow is next to Tails, arms folded and staring away; Rouge is facing towards the camera, while Topaz is right next to the bat, holding an assault rifle. Knuckles is also behind Sonic, trying to get his face into the picture. Sonic and Shadow then power up to their Super Forms, while Luster does the very same, revealing his own Super Form with his slightly older appearence from earlier. Ghost forms of Goku and Vegeta can be seen in the background.**

**Just read that long description as you listen to the English Cha-La-Head-Cha-La. Season 2 is gonna be a kicker!**


	2. Dragon Soul

_Disclaimer: I do not own, neither do I claim to own, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, or the Dragon Ball Z franchise. Neither do I own any branch, spin-off or anything pertaining to the two series. SEGA owns Sonic, and Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation and FUNimation all own DBZ._

_Claimer: On the flip side, I am the owner of Luster the Cat, Megan the Wolf, Jack the Cat, Entity, Quill, that one villain in Power of Unknown, and all the original Eggman robots that appeared in Season 1. Contact me if you want to use any of these characters or ideas in your work._

* * *

After the second seven emerald-powered Chaos Control - first of it's kind on Earth - something became missing. It wasn't on a large a scale as the first incident, but it hurt feelings. It left a deeper mark. In that sense, the second event was far more powerful.

Luster the Cat was caught in the inter-dimensional vacuum, leaving Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles 'Tails' Prower to be severely depressed. He was the two's second best friend, and to lose him...

It's unbearable. Unthinkable. Unfathomable. But it happened anyway, for reasons never to be explained.

People assumed that Luster would be transported to Mobius. But they were wrong.

_Goodbye, my friend_

In the new world, a boy and an adolescent had discovered the unconscious body of a cyan-furred animal - unlike anything they had ever seen. It wore gloves, shoes and a silver-y coloured bracelet. No anthropomorphic animal they ever saw wore this type of fashion.

Their response? Take the animal to their home so that they can interrogate it.

* * *

_Come slide down rainbows in the sky, let's fly away!_

_Like a bird, you're free to see the boundless face of the Earth!_

_Let the wind blow you like a kite,_

_and glide away!_

_Far beyond the clouds,_

_You'll find another place!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_Sparking!_

_Zooming round and round_

_The endless sky like a coaster!_

_Hold on tight, or you may find yourself trapped in a maze!_

_When that happens,_

_You may think you won't ever find your way_

_As the paths that you may take_

_All seem the same!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the night!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_AH, HA, AH, HA! Cha-La!_

* * *

Mere seconds passed as the two males blasted through the air of their world, passing by lowly cars and wildlife down below. Wind brushed by their gi, blowing their coloured belts. Luckily, with their speed, nothing fell off.

Gohan was leading, as he was the eldest and presumably strongest, carrying the stranger with relative ease. Thoughts raced in his mind - who was he? What did he want in this world? Hopefully they were questions that they would find the answer to.

Goten was close behind, eager to see his 'new pet' alive and well. His boyish curiosity was his main driving factor, in his road of understanding.

The two quietly and calmly proceeded to their household, located in the lonesome East District. 58N 018, 439 East District, to be precise. At the knock of the door, the two were greeted with the face of their mother: Chi-Chi. She wore a yellow uniform with a purple cloth tied on the back, having her hair wrapped in a bun.

"Hey! Where have you two been? It's nine 'o clock!" Chi-Chi wondered, enraged by the fact that they had been out for so long. She quickly noticed the animal in her older son's hands. "What...who is that?"

"Calm down, mum. We found him over at Break Wasteland. He was lying face down, and eight gems popped outta him and them shot to different parts of the Earth," Gohan calmed, retelling what he and his younger brother saw. "We can still sense the gems, and lemme tell ya, they feel incredibly powerful. On par with the Dragon Balls."

"Really?" Chi-Chi raised an eyebrow, showing interest. "I never knew anything could match the Dragon Balls. Though, I'm not happy you brought a stranger back home. Come inside, let's see if we can get some information outta him."

The two boys entered the house, and after a 'friendly' reminder to wipe their feet from their mother, the two were directed to the spare bedroom, where the stranger was calmly placed onto the lovely fabric of the duvet.

A minute passed, until a certain someone entered the bedroom in curiosity.

"Hi! What's everyone doing?" the man questioned. He wore an orange gi, with blue boots and a dark blue undershirt and a blue sash.

It was none other than Son Goku.

"Hey, dad. Goten and I found some weird animal outside, along with eight powerful gems," Gohan explained to his father. "The jewels flung themselves to different parts of the planet, though. I'm guessing you sense them too, huh?"

"Yeah. Their power is incredible! It's a shame I can't fight them..." Goku sighed in depression.

The Saiyan loved to fight. He fights whoever he can, when he can.

"Daddy! Gohan brought me home a pet!" Goten exclaimed in excitement, rushing up to his male parent and tugging on his leg.

"Really? Lemme see," Goku answered, walking towards the edge of the bed. "Wow, he looks pretty scrawny. I can still sense his ki, so he's still alive...who is he?"

"I don't know. He's definitely not a fish, that's for sure," Chi-Chi slightly joked, folding her arms.

The Son family were genuinely confused, scratching their heads and all.

"How about we leave this for tomorrow? That way, we can call our friends over, and get a better look at this guy," Gohan suggested, shrugging. "I'm sure someone like Bulma or Master Roshi can figure out what this is."

"That's a good idea, because I'm getting pretty tired..." Goku yawned, obnoxiously. "I'm going to bed. See ya!"

"Don't forget me!" Chi-Chi called, following her husband to the main bedroom.

Gohan and Goten followed in their parent's footsteps, retreating to their beds for the night, leaving their dreams to imagine what this person could be.

Goku dreamt he could be a strong warrior; Gohan thought he could be a scholar, like him; Goten envisioned he could be a playmate who would play with him and his best friend, Trunks, all day; while Chi-Chi hoped that he could help with the house.

They were all pipe-dreams. Straw-grasping, hyping, knowingly fake and hopeless pipe-dreams.

_Stranger_

As the sun rose on such a confusing day, the Son family returned to the spare bedroom - where the anthropomorphic animal was still unconscious, much to their dismay.

"I'll get the phone..." Chi-Chi frowned, walking into the kitchen and powering on the home's telephone, dialling a certain number. "Hey, Bulma? It's me, Chi-Chi. Can you come over here? Last night, Goten and Gohan found some animal and we don't know who it is. Yeah...bring whoever you want. Your father might have some good insight...okay, see you here. Bye!"

Goten walked in the kitchen to hear that last sentence. Thanks to his boyish mind and thought processes, his thoughts were raised through the roof. Not literally.

"Is Trunks coming?" the young boy wondered, getting his hopes up.

"Probably," Chi-Chi replied, dialling another number. "Hello, Chi-Chi speaking...oh, hi Krillin. Oh, did she? That was quick. Yeah, you can come over too. Okay, bye."

"So, who's coming?" Goku raised an eyebrow.

"We got Bulma, Krillin, and others, possibly," Chi-Chi answered, putting down the phone. "We just have to wait for them to arrive."

"Awesome," Gohan commented, sitting down on one of the chairs nearby, as did the others.

The waiting game has commenced.

_Waiting Game_

Approximately thirty minutes later, a knock on the door was sounded, and Chi-Chi was the one to answer it with a happy, yet serious and dead-set expression.

"We got your call," Bulma confirmed, standing in front of a large number of people. Her hair was a bright lavender, as she was also wearing a dark green coat with a dark blue shirt and an unknown lipstick.

"Yeah, where's this animal?" Krillin asked, stretching. His black hair stuck out from his orange t-shirt and light brown coloured trousers. "18's back at the Kame House with Maron. She said she didn't care enough to come."

Chi-Chi sighed. _Sometimes I forget how many friends we have...I hope they remember to wipe their feet!_

_"_Uh, Chi-Chi? Can we see the animal now?" Yamcha requested, eager to see what his comrades had discovered. "I wanna see it! I wonder how it tastes..." Yamcha, although ridiculed by most important enemies, is a strong fighter. He had hair similar to Krillin's, whilst also having an remember-able scar on his cheek.

"Huh? Oh yeah, come on in everyone," the mother welcomed, as the group of Z-Fighters entered the small East District abode. "Wipe your feet, please."

The insides of the home were made with wood, while the walls were made of a curved stone. It was basic - but good enough for a small family like the Sons.

Everyone did what they were told in respect for the homeowner, and were led to the spare bedroom. Each and everyone faced the unconscious anthro with mild confusion and wonder.

"In all my years of living, I've never seen anything quite like this," Master Roshi marvelled, checking his glasses to see if he wasn't seeing things. "He has such bright fur...what are those shoes?"

"It's great! To see another anthro, I mean. There's not enough of us," Puar commented, hovering in the air. Puar was a shape-shifter, and the life-long friend of Yamcha.

"And he's _my _pet!" Goten claimed, smiling and looking proud.

A certain lavender-haired young boy stepped forward from among the crowd. Goten knew who this was, and was overjoyed to see him.

"_Your _pet? He doesn't look like any old domestic animal to me," Trunks refuted, grinning. He and Goten were practically rivals, even though they're actually best friends. Everyday they'd play together, without fault.

"I swear-" Goten debated, just before he was silenced by his mother.

"H-hey! He's waking up!" Oolong alerted, as the eyelids of the cyan creature began to twitch.

The body turned and shifted position constantly, while the eyelids slowly lifted. His legs kicked slightly and his arms stretched outwards, nearly touching the Ox-King as a result. Yawns were had, and stares from the crowd of warriors and supporters too. They all watched as the weird-looking stranger rubbed his eyes to see that he was in unfamiliar territory.

"Where am I? Where's Sonic and Tails?!" the stranger questioned, looking around the room. "Where are the Chaos Emeralds? Who are you? This is so confusing..."

Nothing was said. Only Goten jumped at the person in happiness, with Chi-Chi restraining him. Neither of them were brave enough to say anything. Save for Bulma.

"You're on Earth. My name's Bulma, and who are Sonic, Tails and the Chaos Emeralds?" Bulma asked the questions on everyone's minds.

"Earth?" the weirdo doubted. _Did Chaos Control not send me to an alternate dimension, then?_

That last remark put thoughts and whispers across the people.

"Are you an alien?" Goten fantasied, smiling. _Aliens are cool. Except for the ones that try to kill ya.__ They're not cool.__  
_

"No. I'm a Mobian," the Mobian responded, just as confused as the group is. "Do you not know who Sonic and Tails are?"

"Not at all. Are they friends of yours?" Gohan theorised, thinking intently.

"Yeah. If you've never heard of them, then that explains a lot..." the Mobian realised, coming to a conclusion.

That remark just made things even more weird.

"Okay, uh...your name, what's your name?" Chi-Chi remembered, hoping that this person wasn't a 'delinquent' like her two sons.

"My name?" the Mobian pointed to himself. "My name's Luster the Cat, and I need your help!"

_Unknown Help_

Who is this Luster the Cat, and why is he here? What are the Chaos Emeralds? Find out next time on...Luster. The. Cat!

* * *

_Our world is under a grand spell,_

_As I sit right here and wait on for you,_

_Keep relyin' on you to keep me strong,_

_Without you there, life is a living hell._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how, to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_When I'm alone_

_I have to dream to see_

_When I am alone in the empty room_

_To know what's it's like_

_To be strong_

_On my own...lonesome._

_Beyond the world there exists_

_A being, capable of such grand power_

_I wish I was that being, oh I do_

_So I won't, have to cower._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(help me)_

_When I'm alone_

_Must train everyday_

_When I am alone on the lime sofa_

_What's it all about?_

_To be strong_

_Must train...everyday._

_In my dreams_

_In my wildest dreams_

_I find something new_

_Bestest friend._

_Blue hero_

_Yellow flying fox_

_Then, there is me_

_All alone._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(goodbye)_

* * *

_**Author Notes: **_**So, Luster finally awakens in the world of Dragon Ball Z, and quickly gathers he isn't in Kansas, or Station Square. Now, the big question is, how will he get back?**

**Also, off topic stuff.**

**I'm probably going to Hyper Japan on Saturday 26th July, just so I can play Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS. If you're going, awesome! Hope I see you there! I'm most likely gonna be wearing a green t-shirt and some jeans, and I've got dark blonde hair. If you see a guy like that, then it's probably me.** **See ya!**


	3. Sparking!

_Disclaimer: I do not own, neither do I claim to own, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, or the Dragon Ball Z franchise. Neither do I own any branch, spin-off or anything pertaining to the two series. SEGA owns Sonic, and Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation and FUNimation all own DBZ._

_Claimer: On the flip side, I am the owner of Luster the Cat, Megan the Wolf, Jack the Cat, Entity, Quill, that one villain in Power of Unknown, and all the original Eggman robots that appeared in Season 1. Contact me if you want to use any of these characters or ideas in your work._

* * *

Last time, on Luster the Cat...

Gohan and Goten brought a strange-looking animal to their home, letting their mother and father, Chi-Chi and Goku in on the discovery. After a little while of standing around and thinking, it was decided that they would all wait for morning, so that their friends were easily accessible. This was a good plan - it meant that each family member could sleep on this happening and think about whatever could beat it the next day.

Upon waking up, some of their friends came along to take a look at the animal, including the likes of the Ox-King, Yamcha, Krillin, Bulma and many others. Seconds after everyone is bundled into the spare bedroom, the anthro wakes up and reveals his name as Luster the Cat.

_New World, New Friends_

Now, in the present, we find the Z-Fighters and their supporters in the face of a seemingly new enemy...but is this the case?

_Starting From Somewhere_

"My name?" the Mobian pointed to himself in confirmation. "My name's Luster the Cat, and I need your help."

That statement didn't answer any questions; it only brought more to everyone's minds. What does he want? Why does he need their help?

Bulma stepped up to the plate, volunteering to be the one asking all the obvious yet helpful questions that tempted fate.

"Why? What do you need help with?" the fourty-five year old woman questioned, making sure to come across as a nice and caring person.

Certain people might say otherwise...you know who I mean.

"Because, I'm from a different dimension, and I need'ta get back!" Luster answered, smiling, apparently picking up the fast-speaking mannerisms of his hedgehog guardian.

This didn't breathe a sigh of relief into the residents of this world, either. It only replaced their confused expressions with the one belonging to surprise.

"From...a different dimension?!" Krillin raised an eyebrow, doubtful.

"How does that even work?" Yamcha added, folding his arms. "We better get him outta here, and fast!"

Gohan seemed to be one of the only ones among the entire group to understand what that claim meant. He stood in front of the bed, calming everyone down and allowing himself time to speak.

"Now, now, everyone. This isn't the first time we've seen visitors from alternative worlds," Gohan calmed, his mind turning back several years. "Before any of you get suspicious, Goten and I found him unconscious, and I'm sure all of you that can sense ki can easily tell that he's no threat."

"But what if he's compressing his power so we can't sense how high it is?" Oolong refuted, not believing the credibility of this creature.

"Uh, I don't think that's the case," Gohan returned, facing Luster. "Hey, Luster, how strong are you?"

"Gohan! Don't be so forward with him!" Chi-Chi demanded, worrying for her son's safety.

The gi-wearing academic ignored his mother, and waited for a reply.

"How...strong, I am?" Luster tilted his head, trying to recall his best feats. "Well, I took on a super-powered ancient water beast and lived, I managed to defeat a powerful robot...I have a gun, but I think I left that back home. I'm not really that strong. Sonic and Tails usually do all the work."

"You keep mentioning these Sonic and Tails guys. Who are they? Are they like you?" Gohan questioned further.

"They're the nicest people in the world! Eh, I mean, _my _world. They defeat the evil Dr. Eggman like, every _day_, they rescued me when I was about to die and they saved my world lots of times!" Luster explained, reminiscing of a past never forgotten.

"I see..." Gohan commented, thinking about what he was just told. _Something rings my bells...these two sound like us! I bet he's got more friends._

Now, were the crew less suspicious and doubtful of the cyan cat. They all scratched their heads like they were to shy to say sorry, though mumblings did make themselves audible. Though, one person wasn't fazed by this whole escapade. He had no expression other than a finger on his chin like he was in deep thought.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Goten asked, looking up to his tall father.

Goku snapped out of his 'trance' and turned straight to his worried son and put on a 'I'm alright' face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Goten. Thanks for asking!" Goku answered, faking his current emotions and thoughts. _He's lying. I can tell he is._

"We can assume that this 'Dr. Eggman' is some kind of recurring enemy of yours. Is there anything else about you we should know?" continued Bulma, wanting more information.

Luster sighed, and prepared to tell a long story, but realised something. Something important.

"Well, I, er, were there any gems that flung themselves over this world?" Luster replied.

"Yeah!" Goten happily responded. "Gohan and I saw eight gems - one was bigger than the others - pop outta you, then they went to other parts of the world. It was pretty!"

The cat nodded, knowing full well what these gems were.

"I know, right? Man those Chaos Emeralds are great to look at..." Luster agreed, thinking back. _I loved looking at those emeralds...whenever I held them, I could feel their power spreading through my body. It was like they trusted me somehow..._

"Chaos...Emeralds? Boy do they sound fancy!" commented Ox-King. "What're they like?"

"Oh, they are amazing! They've got so much power in them, it's pretty much limitless! When you gather all seven, you transform into a Super Form! You'll be much faster, stronger and invulnerable! Well, it depends on how strong your opponent is...if he's really strong, then you will be feeling some damage," Luster explained, remembering how Super Forms work, taught to him by Sonic. "Also, there's a Master Emerald which controls all the Chaos Emeralds. It's the most powerful thing in my world."

_Sounds like the sorta thing Vegeta would be interested in..._ Goku joked to himself, falling back into the pit of thought.

"When I think of ultra-powerful macguffins, the Dragon Balls tend to come to mind," Trunks brought up. "To save you the trouble of asking, the Dragon Balls are just like your Chaos Emeralds, except when the balls come together, a massive green dragon called Shenron appears, who grants you two wishes. They can even bring back people from the dead!"

_'Bring back people from the dead'..._ Luster heard, replaying those six words repeatedly. _Yay! I can bring my parents back to life!_

Everyone realised what had to be done - the Dragon Balls have always been by their side to restore and mistakes or damage caused by villains. Now was their time to help an inter-dimensional visitor back home.

"Luster, I believe I speak on the behalf on everyone here when I say, welcome to our world! We'll get you back to your planet!" Gohan smiled, as did everyone else besides Goku.

"Yay! Thanks!" the Mobian thanked everyone, nodding graciously. "So uh, what're all your names?"

The Z-Fighters and their friends that were there at the time introduced themselves with a nice and warming smile, accepting their new friend into their universe.

* * *

_Come slide down rainbows in the sky, let's fly away!_

_Like a bird, you're free to see the boundless face of the Earth!_

_Let the wind blow you like a kite,_

_and glide away!_

_Far beyond the clouds,_

_You'll find another place!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_Sparking!_

_Zooming round and round_

_The endless sky like a coaster!_

_Hold on tight, or you may find yourself trapped in a maze!_

_When that happens,_

_You may think you won't ever find your way_

_As the paths that you may take_

_All seem the same!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the night!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_AH, HA, AH, HA! Cha-La!_

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the Capsule Corporation's headquarters in West City, with the exact address being WST 3338926 K, a dark clothed, glove and shoe wearing man looked up at the sky, sensing something peculiar - a power unnatural. Something he had not expected to see.

"What is that power? It's incredible..." the man sensed, having a surprised look on his face. _It's hardly possible, but could the appearance of that stupid animal be connected to this...power? I suppose an investigation is in order._

He charged up a basic level of ki and started to ascend, eventually blasting ahead over the city in search of that insane energy.

_I can't even speak...the power's that great. If I were to harness it...HA! That's it! I'll be finally able to best Kakarot in battle! Soon, I'll be known as the true King of all Saiyans! I'll be at a level further than Super Saiyan 1, 2, or even 3! Super Vegeta is reborn! _Vegeta marvelled, using his own ki to propel himself forward at breakneck speeds.

Vegeta certainly is a prideful one.

_Pride of the Prince_

Beside an overly active waterfall, a tall, green man wearing a white overcoat was levitating rather close to the calming waters. Meditation - a state that calms the mind and induces consciousness, to realise benefit or to simply ease the user of stress. One of the person's favourite pastimes.

Like Vegeta, he awoke from his peaceful state at the delayed sensing of Chaos Energy. However, this one was seemingly closer, and that was apparent with the power the green one felt.

It was just too surreal.

_That power...what might that be? _the Namekian speculated, hovering in the air. _It's nothing like usual ki energy._

He slowly made his way to where the energy seemed to be flowing from - which was stuck to a rock in the stream leading to the waterfall. After a quick extraction with the use of his trademark 'stretchy arms' ability, the Namek became utterly bewildered by the incredible power the scarlet emerald was radiating.

It left him speechless. Sure, the Dragon Balls were powerful, but these things felt _different._

_I feel something else...this emerald has life in it. It's its own sentient being, so therefore, those seven other emeralds I sense must be of the same calibre - excluding that stronger one, _the green stretchy one sensed, scanning the emerald's bottomless energy.

However, a new, familiar and weaker life was making his or her way toward him for some unknown reason. The Namekian knew who this was. It was clear as day.

After all, you could never forget the tainted ki signature of this fellow. As he approached, the man that was currently airborne simply stood there and appeared to notice the Chaos Emerald that was in the hand of the green one.

"You have something I need," Vegeta noticed, scoffing. "Hand me that gem, Namek."

"No. It's power is too controlling to give to someone of your stature," the Namekian refused, clenching his spare fist. "And I have a name, you know. It's Piccolo."

"Yes yes, but you're as insignificant as your entire race," Vegeta insulted, folding his arms. "You hand me that emerald or you'll feel a pain worse than suffering."

Vegeta charged up a large amount of ki, eventually surrounding himself in a golden yellow aura - his hair was yellow, and his muscle size was slightly increased. Lightning aura could be seen sparking around his body.

"Hmph," Piccolo grunted, throwing aside his overcoat. "I've seen better insults from Krillin. Enough talk, Vegeta. I'll show you why you can't have this gem; a Super Saiyan 2 won't stop me."

"Fine by me!" Vegeta nodded, using a Galick Gun towards the green Piccolo.

The Namekian, surprisingly, blocked it without a scratch, much to the surprise of the Prince.

"As you can see, an evil heart is no match for a pure heart," Piccolo taunted, grasping the Chaos Emerald.

"What? How is that...wait a minute, you're using the power of that gem, aren't you?! Argh!" Vegeta shouted, firing a barrage of Big Bang Attacks that were all, again, blocked easily. "You...irritating weasel!"

"I don't even need to do anything to defeat you, Vegeta. You don't deserve this power," Piccolo finished, making the Prince blast away at super fast speeds without a word otherwise. _It's best not to let him gather all those gems. Who knows what that maniacal Saiyan will do when he obtains all eight._

Piccolo followed the energy of a different Chaos Emerald to the one Vegeta was going after, initiating this world's first Chaos Emerald hunt. Boy was it a humdinger.

_Chaos Emerald Hunt 2k14_

Back with the people at the West District capsule-like home, the visitors were saying their goodbyes to the Son family and their new friend, Luster the Cat. As soon as everybody departed from the home's vicinity, the males of the group of five exited the abode to catch a breather and decide what was going to happen for the next while.

"I say we should get the Chaos and Master Emeralds first, then have the Dragon Balls wish me and them back home," Luster suggested, stretching his arms.

"Sounds like a plan! You guys in?" Gohan nodded, liking the sound of that.

"Yeah!" Goten agreed, jumping up and down in excitement. "I wanna search the world! It's so fun!"

"That settles it. Dad, what do you think?" Gohan asked, turning to his father.

Goku made no noise - he was still in a deep thought about something certain. It bothered him, like a bee at a picnic.

"Sorry, it's just..." Goku finally spoke, walking towards Luster. "How truly strong are you? Punch me."

"What? Punch you?" Luster repeated, shaking his head. "Why?"

"Yeah dad, why?" Gohan questioned, wanting to know the logic behind that request.

"I just wanna see how strong you are! Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Goku grinned, reassuring everybody that this practise was going to be safe.

"Uh, okay then..." the cat reluctantly sighed, clenching his fist and tensing it hard, releasing the punch as soon as he felt the time was right.

The pure-Saiyan was then hit with a punch - though it was one he did not feel that much of, mainly because of the weak power behind it.

"Huh. Then it's true," realised Goku, getting back into that thinking pose. "Yep, you've got untapped potential. Before we go any further with taking you back home, I'm gonna train you to become much stronger, Luster."

As a result of that statement, everyone else became completely and utterly bewildered; beside themselves with shock. Goku was going to train Luster?

"Whaaa...train, me? But how?" wondered Luster, pointing to himself in confusion. _Sonic and Tails've already trained me. What could this guy teach me?_

"I'll teach you all about how we fight in this world, and about ki. First lesson! Ki is an energy that is inside any and every living being. Depending on the person, or thing, ki levels can either be huge or small and positive or negative. Individuals can use ki to perform powerful attacks. Take this for example!" Goku instructed, creating an overturned V-shape with his hands, putting them behind his back.

It kinda looked like a cup. Out of nowhere, Goku's latent blue energy appeared in between the hands, as he chanted a word that would make Luster excited as heck.

"KAME-HAME-HA!" the Saiyan chanted, as he pointed the energy towards a mountain and released it.

Only several rocks and a boulder came crashing down as a result of that beam - which was odd, to Luster, anyway. Gohan and Goten knew perfectly well why this didn't completely disintegrate the mountain.

"That was awesome!" commented Luster, with a large smile on his face. _Where have I seen that before...?_

"It's called the Kamehameha, if you didn't quite catch what I was saying," Goku added, looking towards the mountain. "Usually that woulda done a whole lot more damage, but I held back. Didn't want to remove the mountain completely!"

_The power coming outta that was immense! _the Mobian thought, utterly bewildered. "How am I gonna learn that?"

"Well, I haven't really had to 'teach' anyone the Kamehameha Wave, but I'm pretty sure I can! But, ki training's for tomorrow, anyway," answered Goku, turning to his two sons. "Stick around if you want, guys. I'm hoping this doesn't go through dinner!"

"Okay," Gohan nodded, facing his younger sibling. "Wanna spar while those two train? It's a good way to pass the time."

"Sure!" Goten happily agreed, loving the idea.

As the two brothers began fighting each other for training purposes, Luster and Goku popped over to a random nearby tree and got to work on building the future.

_Training_

"Alright, first exercise! Punch this tree repeatedly until it falls!" Goku ordered, pointing to the tree. "This helps build your punching power."

"But won't this hurt my hands?" Luster worried, reluctant to punch the piece of nature.

"You'll be fine. Just keep punching as hard as you can, and I promise, you'll come out a whole lot stronger!" the Super Saiyan promised, while the cat followed instructions and began wailing on the tree as hard as he can.

Never would he give up. Luster somehow gained a burning fire in his heart - the scorching flames of determination had taken over his senses within a couple minutes. It wasn't until approximately an hour into punching, where the tree had sustained little damage, that the Mobian cat noticed something.

"We haven't been properly introduced, I don't think," Luster greeted, offering Goku a handshake. "My name's Luster the Cat."

_That's true, _Goku realised, accepting the handshake. "I'm Son Goku the uh, Saiyan."

"What's a Saiyan?" Luster questioned, completely stopping his punching for now.

"Saiyans are a warrior race who get stronger after nearly dying in battle. Gohan and Goten over there, are Half-Saiyans because Chi-Chi, their mother and my wife, is a human," Goku proudly explained, after letting go of the handshake. "Our home planet was destroyed by a monster named Frieza, but I killed him shortly before Planet Namek exploded. It was thanks to my Super Saiyan form that gave me the power to do so. Super Saiyans are super-powerful transformations that only Saiyans can do which increases your speed, durability and strength. Like those Super Forms from your world!"

"Cool!" Luster smiled, liking the story. "I'm a Mobian, and yeah. Sonic and Tails haven't told me anything about Mobian history, but we all pretty much look like me...or what I am."

"Interesting. Say, is this Sonic guy really that strong?" Goku asked, folding his arms.

Luster smirked a little. He loved explaining to others how strong his guardians are.

"Of course he is! He beat Chaos, the God of Destruction!" the cat explained to his new-found friend, turning to the tree afterwards and continuing his training.

_Beat a god, you say? He really sounds powerful! But can that Super Form of his stand up to a Super Saiyan? _the Saiyan theorised, watching Luster pound away.

As fighting spirit raged inside the young cat's mind, time passed. A lot of time passed - though night never came. It wasn't even sunset. Okay, it wasn't all that long, but to Luster, every minute felt like an hour. He was exhausted, though he kept going. What type of determination was it that made him go through all this?

_I gotta do this...I don't wanna depend on others to fight battles for me. I don't wanna be useful for just dodging. I wanna be known...as a powerful warrior! _Luster kept saying to himself, as he kept charging at that tree with all of his might.

Miraculously, after three extra hours of punching, taking a breather and more punching, something happened. The tree started to crack, and with an echoing sound that scared off local birds, said plant came crashing down. Luster had done it - he made a tree fall!

"I did it!" Luster celebrated, Spin Jumping up and down in excitement.

He went up to another tree, and punched it once with decent power. That too, came tumbling down, adding to his strength and happiness.

"Good job! Try punching me again. Hopefully I'll be able to feel a lot more than what I felt four or five hours ago!" Goku instructed. _Should I read his mind? Nah, he's not really much of a threat, so he can't be hiding anything from us...then again, with the rate he's going at, he might just become a threat!_

Luster nodded, and charged up a punch with all of his available strength. At the last second, he released his attack, hitting Goku square on the chest. That definitely had to do _something_.

"How'd I do?" the cat wondered, wanting an evaluation.

"Very well! I certainly felt that!" Goku commented, smiling and rubbing his chest. "That kinda hurt a little. Now, do the same as what ya just did, but with your feet!"

The Mobian, as a resultant happening of that last instruction, had his mouth and eyes wide open, in shock.

"You-okay!" Luster nodded, eventually realising that it was a good idea.

So, he followed instructions, like a good little orphan. The pathetic cat continued to kick another tree until it wielded similar results to his punching exercise, which made him go through the same though processes.

_I gotta do this...my punches are powerful now, I just gotta work on my kicks. Soon, I won't have to count on Sonic and Tails to do stuff! Thanks to the Dragon Balls, I can bring my parents back to life...I might not even be with my friends any more..._ Luster thought, realising what may occur to him in the future. _That's a scary thought...but right now, I gotta focus on my training._

In the approximative allotment of time pertaining to two and a half hours, this fic's main protagonist and current apprentice in the ways of Z-fighting had successfully cleared his present task of kicking down a tree using nothing but the potential in his feet. This was quite the feat and pleased the proudness senses in the boy, giving him a sense of confidence.

"Son Goku, thank you," Luster grinned, offering a high five to his mentor.

"No problem!" Goku returned, taking the high five with a great smile and outlook. "You're only gonna get stronger from here. I can tell."

The two exchanged looks as they both realised they were going to become good friends, even though they still didn't know too much about the other.

But that isn't necessary with friendships.

* * *

_Our world is under a grand spell,_

_As I sit right here and wait on for you,_

_Keep relyin' on you to keep me strong,_

_Without you there, life is a living hell._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how, to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_When I'm alone_

_I have to dream to see_

_When I am alone in the empty room_

_To know what's it's like_

_To be strong_

_On my own...lonesome._

_Beyond the world there exists_

_A being, capable of such grand power_

_I wish I was that being, oh I do_

_So I won't, have to cower._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(help me)_

_When I'm alone_

_Must train everyday_

_When I am alone on the lime sofa_

_What's it all about?_

_To be strong_

_Must train...everyday._

_In my dreams_

_In my wildest dreams_

_I find something new_

_Bestest friend._

_Blue hero_

_Yellow flying fox_

_Then, there is me_

_All alone._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(goodbye)_

* * *

_**Author Notes: **_**Looks like Luster's getting trained by Goku himself. Something I've planned for a while now.**

**Oh, Lucina and Robin confirmed for Smash.**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**WOOOOOOOO!**


	4. Once Angels, Now Fighters

_Disclaimer: I do not own, neither do I claim to own, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, or the Dragon Ball Z franchise. Neither do I own any branch, spin-off or anything pertaining to the two series. SEGA owns Sonic, and Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation and FUNimation all own DBZ._

_Claimer: On the flip side, I am the owner of Luster the Cat, Megan the Wolf, Jack the Cat, Entity, Quill, that one villain in Power of Unknown, and all the original Eggman robots that appeared in Season 1. Contact me if you want to use any of these characters or ideas in your work._

* * *

Last time, on Luster the Cat...

The author forgot to do a DBZ-styled outro.

Everyone met Luster, and both worlds were explained to one another. It is decided by Goku, Gohan, Goten and Luster that they will band together to find the seven magical Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald.

Though, the road is going to be long and grey, as Vegeta has sensed the appearence of the emeralds, and is currently going for them! Piccolo is aware of their existance, but decides not to do anything as he holds one of the jewels himself.

Later that day, well after Luster's punching and kicking training (which went extensively well), the Sons and the Mobian decided to pop inside for some dinner.

_A Saiyan's Eating Habits_

The cat was surprised, to say the least. Surprised to see the eating ethic of Saiyans. What, it must have been Gohan's twenty-fifth bowl of rice when he realised something was off about the way these guys ate. They were rushing through their food like they were ordered to. Chi-Chi even seemed okay with this! Despite the fact that she looked pretty tired from having to move a ton of meals back and forth from the dinner table to the kitchen.

Luster was only finished on his first bowl by the time Goku got to his thirtieth. He looked over to the Saiyans, and had the most bewildered expression imaginable. His mouth was wide open, his spoon was buried into the empty wooden bowl and his entire thoughts consisted on how incredibly fast these lot ate.

"You okay, Luster? You want more?" Gohan questioned, as his little brother sipped up his thirteenth glass of milk.

"B-b-ho...how...man-eat, fast..." Luster stuttered, unable to get any words out.

Chi-Chi entered with her husband's thirty-fifth rice bowl and chipped in her two cents about the sudden expression on the antro's face before anyone else could.

"I think he's just adjusting to how you guys eat," the housewife suggested, placing the bowl in front of Goku. "I know the first time I saw you eat, Goku, I was amazed, confused and scared, probably like how Luster's feeling right now. Give 'im a break, he'll get over it."

"Oh yeah...that was back when I was training with Master Roshi. Good times..." Goku reminisced, food spitting out of his mouth while he talked.

"But he can't even speak coherent sentences, mum," Gohan stated.

Luster's face remained the same throughout the entirety of this conversation; never changing, never erasing. It was like a burning mark on his impression of this world, neigh, _dimension_.

"Oh, he'll be _fine_," Chi-Chi reassured, replacing Luster's finished meal with a plate of yakitori - skewered grilled chicken pieces seasoned with salt or sauce, usually served on a stick.

Try it sometime. It's nice.

The Mobian had the pleasure of having his yakitori seasoned with just the salt. He didn't want a second seasoning. After five minutes (or twenty-seven rice bowls in Saiyan time), Luster got his act together and started munching away on his lovely Japanese cuisine.

"Feeling...better?" wondered Gohan, stopping his eating.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just surprised..." Luster answered, eating the yakitori right off the stick. "Delicious!"

After many grins, smiles, giggles, gulps and munches, the four at the table managed the remainder of their dinners, enjoying each and every single bite of their equisite feast. Goku, when he was finished, literally jumped up from his seat and flexed his muscles in preparation of something.

Goten did the exact same thing, in admiration of his father. Goku enjoyed it, and soon realised it was a certain time.

"Training time!" Goku announced, stretching his legs.

Luster also stood up, disappointed.

"Really...? Fine," he reluctantly agreed, slightly tired. _I've been training for a few hours now! What could possibly be-oh. Yeah, I get it!_

* * *

_Come slide down rainbows in the sky, let's fly away!_

_Like a bird, you're free to see the boundless face of the Earth!_

_Let the wind blow you like a kite,_

_and glide away!_

_Far beyond the clouds,_

_You'll find another place!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_Sparking!_

_Zooming round and round_

_The endless sky like a coaster!_

_Hold on tight, or you may find yourself trapped in a maze!_

_When that happens,_

_You may think you won't ever find your way_

_As the paths that you may take_

_All seem the same!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the night!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_AH, HA, AH, HA! Cha-La!_

* * *

Gohan and Goten parked their rears on a tree that had been chopped down due to Luster's training earlier, which had rolled away from it's original position for some reason.

Goku and Luster, on the other hand, were busy sparring. Luster used a flurry of punches, but Goku used his speed to avoid every single one. The cat then attacked with a barrage of kicks, throwing all the strength he could muster into every strike.

Despite being his best attempts, nothing happened. Goku kept accurately tilting his body and head in certain directions so that neither attack would come into contact with his person. No amount of slow punches or novice kicks would change this.

Until Luster decided to do something. He crouched, confusing the three Sons, and somehow morphed into a sphere of some description. The cat released this attack and hurtled towards Goku, catching him by surprise and knocking him back an inch or so.

"Whoa, what was that? Certainly doesn't seem like a technique _I've _ever seen..." Goku questioned, wanting answers. "And I've seen a lotta techniques and attacks in my time."

"It's called a Spin Dash," Luster explained, brushing his furry arms. "Tails taught it to Sonic, who then taught it to me."

"Oh, so those friends of yours must have taught you everything ya know. Explains why your fighting style's kinda...what's the word..." Goku commented, trying to think of an exact description.

"Peculiar?" Gohan suggested, shrugging. "That's how I see it."

"Yeah! That's the one; peculiar! Thanks, Gohan!" the pure blooded Saiyan thanked. "Have your friends taught you any other techniques?"

Luster shook his head. "No, but Sonic does know a whole lotta cool attacks and stuff. He can create mini-tornadoes," he answered.

"Impressive," Goku grinned. _I'm starting to get a little excited! Man does he sound like a good fight!_

As the Super Saiyan fantasised about fighting a blue, heroic hedgehog, the cyan, apprentice fighter cat, requested more training.

"Uh, Goku? Can I get more training?" requested Luster, demonstrating his new punching and kicking abilities to show that his base strength was sorted. "Can I learn that wave beam-thing?"

"The Kamehameha? Eh, maybe later," Goku considered, tensing up. "I do have something else in mind...while you were trying to hit me just now, I noticed something wrong with your technique. You're a bit too slow. If you're slow, you won't be able to hit your opponent as easily."

_I'm really that slow? I thought the Silver Ring would be helping me...but apparently not, _Luster thought, wondering what sort of exercise he'd be put through this time.

Using speed to take down trees makes no sense - except maybe for Sonic. What did this universe's main hero have in store for the little Mobian?

"I got it!" Goku realised, turning to Luster. "Run as fast as you can to that tree over there and back. Don't forget to keep pushing yourself - never let your legs tire. Make sure you're always speeding up."

"W-where is it?" Luster wondered, failing to notice the exact position of the tree.

"That way," Goku answered, pointing towards the east. "Keep going as fast as you can. As soon as you touch it, turn around and come back."

"But won't he be really exhausted?" Goten questioned, doubting the safety of this exercise. "I don't want my new pet to be tired!"

"Pet?" Luster raised an eyebrow. _Pet?_

"Never mind that. You'll be fine - just keeping pushing yourself and don't get distracted - I do that a lot," Goku finalised, looking out to check for danger. "If anything were to pop out at you, just ignore it and keep running."

Luster nodded, and on the count of three, he began his everlasting sprint through the plains-like area. The Sons hoped for the best.

_Speed Test_

As the turquoise coloured Mobian cat dashed through the grass-infested region, he hopped over small obstacles such as plants, tree stumps, low-hanging tree branches, rocks and the like. He took no mercy to the insects and tiny blades of grass that became crushed beneath his shoes.

At the moment, Luster was about a quarter of the way to the tree when he spotted something. Something about him. Internally.

_I'm gettin' faster! What Goku said was right - if I push myself, there are no limits! Here we come! _he remembered, blasting onwards.

Several cars stopped to take a look at the speeding bi-pedal animal - then drove on. They didn't stop for more than a minute because Luster was already gone. By the six minute mark, he had finally reached the tree and spent approximately five minutes returning to the lonesome house upon the isolated East District.

_Coming back! _Luster stated to himself, as a large grin appeared on his face.

_Beyond Limits_

Returning to Goku, Gohan and Goten, Luster kept up his cheeky-lookin' grin as he proceeded to his sensei (that's Japanese for y'all). He was most pleased with the results of that pleasurable exercise - one he most enjoyed.

The thing is, he wasn't that all tired. Not like last time his speed was tested among the serenity and quaint feeling of the Mystic Ruins two years ago; he only barely reached fifty miles per hour and he was exhausted, utterly fuming from his fur. Now, he just ran...gosh, who knows how quick? He couldn't keep track, though Tails probably could.

Was it because of his increasing age and development that cuased his stamina to increase as it has? Or was it Goku's guidance? He said he was a pretty capable fighter because of his ability to take down that Frieza person. And he destroyed Goku's entire race (almost).

Luster couldn't figure this out. Despite his purplexing thoughts, he proceeded slowly to the Saiyan and Half-Saiyans, continuing to wield that grin of his upon his face. As he stood in front of his teacher, he let his body language do the talking.

"Did well, I guess," Gohan assumed, staring at the cat's humorous face. "That was pretty fast. Only took you about ten minutes."

"Ten minutes? Felt shorter than that," joked Luster, smirking. "What's next?"

"Well, I wanna test your speed some more, so..." Goku replied. "Try to dodge anything and everything that I throw at ya."

"Dodging? Finally something I'm known for!" Luster commented, anticipating the gi-wearing Saiyan's first move.

Just as sixty seconds turned by, Goku lunged forward with a punch, to which Luster evaded without a singular scratch or bruise. The Saiyan smiled, and attempted a flurry of kicks that were all clean-dodged by his friendly opponent. Realising he had to step up his game, Goku let off a barrage of punches and kicks similar to the ones Luster were throwing earlier, but the cat need not to tilt his head in this situation.

All he needed to do was do Spin Jump away a little and continue to avoid any super-fast punch or kick that was sent his way.

_Thanks, Silver Ring! Now you help me! _he complained to himself, maneuvering over, under and away from physical contact.

_Man, he's faster than I thought! Did he really run that fast just now? Oh well, it just means his training is going well! _Goku realised, thinking of a way he could test Luster further. _Super Saiyan's a bad choice - I might accidentally hit him. Though I can control the first Super Saiyan form, anything above'll be too dangerous...wait, what if I..._

Suddenly, an energy sphere formed in Goku's hands. As soon as it was released, it started to hone in on Luster's current position, prompting him to leap out of the way, evading successfully. Another one was fired, then another, then another...it was soon revealed to be a barrage of energy balls.

Luster had an idea. He morphed into a sphere and propelled himself forward as he charged up an onwards force - using a Spin Dash technique to get by the onslaught of ki.

"Nice! Using that spinny dash move to avoid my Continuous Energy Bullets," Goku commented. "I think that's about enough for speed training, you've already proved that you're super fast. Now for..."

The Saiyan extended his hand and formed a harmless energy ball just above his palm.

_Am I...gonna learn that Kamehameha? _Luster speculated, excited for the last few words his mentor was about to utter.

"Ki training! First of all, I'll close my eyes, and you do whatever you can to hit me," Goku instructed, throwing away the energy ball and shutting his eyelids.

"Okay!" Luster nodded.

He began to lay out an onslaught of punches and whatnot, but much to his surprise, Goku began to dodge every single thing, like his eyes were watching every movement around him. After a couple seconds succeeded, the Saiyan opened his eyes and began to explain what just happened.

"You see, the reason why I kept dodging your attacks was because I could sense your ki. Ki is a natural lifeforce found in every living thing. The plants, trees, animals, you, me and everyone has ki inside them. The level of ki a living thing has depends on how strong it is. You see, a regular human has an extremely low ki level because of their fighting inexperience. We have a high ki level because of the opposite reason," Goku explained. "Sensing ki is no easy feat, but I'm sure you can do it."

"Yay!" Luster exclaimed, with a massive smile located on his face. "But how do I sense ki?"

Goku had to think about that one. He had been sensing ki for so long, and all the people he had met in the recent past knew how to sense ki. The memory had somewhat escaped him.

"Uh...well, it goes like this. You picture a person, plant or animal, and focus on them. Imagine that you're reaching out and touching them, somehow feeling their energy," Goku explained, trying to think of a decent explanation. "I've been sensing ki for a very long time, but I've never had to explain it. Sorry if my explanation sounds wierd."

"It's okay!" Luster accepted, focusing on Goku. _Okay...just imagine I'm touching him and feeling his power..._

What was explained to the boy a moment ago became a fresh memory within his mind. Speaking of the feline's mind, he perfectly envisioned himself reaching the innards of Goku and noticing an average amount of ki, much to his surprise.

Seconds later, the cat reported back to the living world.

"So, how'd it go?" Goku questioned, releasing his tension.

"Your power wasn't all that...great," Luster informed, concerned. _He's not weak, is he?_

"Heh, of course. That's because I'm applying pressure to my current ki level, which makes me appear weaker to my foes. This allows me to surprise 'em, and go in for a quick attack or two!" Goku explained. "And that's what I'm gonna teach ya next! All you gotta do is sense your own power, and imagine it getting smaller."

"I won't actually become weaker, will I?" worried Luster, lowering his concern level.

"No, not at all! Just try it, and I'll see if it's worked," Goku answered, folding his arms and keeping his attention on the anthro.

Inside Luster's mind, he began to apply 'pressure' to his ki and imagined it becoming smaller, and in turn weaker. It appeared to work for him, as he started to sense less power. But was his new friend feeling the same thing?

Shortly afterwards, Luster shook his head to signal that he was back, and turned to his Saiyan comrade.

"Nice work! You're certainly a fast learner, aren't you?" observed Goku, smiling in appreciation. _What makes him so quick to learn? Is it an animal thing?_

The Mobian smiled in return. "Yeah...it's not the first time I've heard that," he commented, remembering his training with Sonic and Tails. "What now?"

"How about flying with your ki? It's kinda simple," the Saiyan suggested. "It'll help with getting around."

_Flying! Ha! Take that, Tails! _Luster grinned, imagining flying alongside Tails. _That would be amazing!_

"I can tell you like that idea. So we'll do it!" Goku confirmed, stretching his arms. "I remember Gohan told me he once explained Flight as 'similar to a helicopter or engine', but I'm not too sure what an engine is. Anyway, the simplest way to explain how to fly using your ki goes like this: you plant your ki beneath you, getting it as low as you can, and letting it launch you upwards. You'll have to move your ki around in your body if you wanna move around."

"Awesome!" smiled Luster, attempting to fly.

He tried to physically crouch and then jump, but then he realised he was supposed to do that with his ki, not his body. To rectify his mistake, the cat motioned his ki to the underside of his body and began to lift-off, gaining some considerable airtime.

"You did it! Now remember, to move, you need to direct your ki in the direction you wanna go," Goku reminded. "Also, if you wanna go faster while flying in any direction, just apply more pressure."

Luster nodded, and began to 'tell' his energy to move him towards the right - which worked. He did it with the left - which worked. Up and down worked just as efficiently. It was obvious he needed more practice (actually, he needed more practice in everything), though that didn't matter too much to him.

He just cared about becoming stronger and much, much more useful in future battles. Eggman wouldn't know what's coming!

After practicing moving backwards and forwards, Luster began to propel himself fowards by motioning his energy towards where he wanted to go, focusing his attention on the tree from earlier, and applying a mass amount of ki in that direction. This caused him to go flying at speeds faster than he would be on foot, making it to the tree in record time. One jerky turn-around later, and he returned to the Sons, descending.

"You're getting pretty good at this! Keep training, and you'll become an expert at fighting in no time!" Goku complimented, thumbing up his new friend. "That's something I forgot to tell you. You should always train everyday, for as long as you can. If you neglect your training, you'll find that you'll become weaker and slower."

"Yes, sir!" Luster nodded, comically saluting the Saiyan. "What're ya gonna teach me now?"

Goku sighed, as a wide smile appeared on his face. Luster wasn't sure whether to be scared, or excited. He patiently awaited whatever was going to happen, anyway, despite his fears.

_Ki Levels - Over 9000?_

"This is the most coolest part of ki usage. The power to manipulate ki and use it to fire energy attacks, like the Kamehameha!" the gi-wearing humanoid alien answered, exciting Luster to no end. "Making basic energy spheres is simple, but complex attacks are a little harder to perform. We'll start off from the basics, and get to more difficult techniques later on."

Luster nodded, and waited for further instructions.

"First of all, imagine that your ki is drawing towards the palm of your hand, or hands. You can do whatever, but two hands requires more concentration," Goku instructed, using his own instructions to form a basic, yellow energy ball. "Doing it with one hand will create that. Try it!"

Again, the patient student nodded, and followed his master's handy instructions. Within seconds, a decently sized yellow energy ball appeared in his hand.

"I think I put a little too much energy in," Luster scratched the back of his head.

"There's no such thing as too much energy," Goku stated, making a fair point. "Sticking with one energy ball?"

Luster confirmed, waiting to be told what to do.

"In that case, point your energy in any direction. Go for that mountain over there," pointed out Goku. "Then you extend your hand as far as you can...then throw it, making sure to release your hold on the ki sphere when you throw it."

The Mobian nodded in understanding, extending the palm of his glove-covered hand and initiating the motion of throwing, releasing his energy ball at an opportune moment. It flew like an arrow, making a small dent within the mountain side. Luckily, no major damage was done.

"Good job! Next time, remember to add more ki into your energy sphere. That way you'll do more damage," the Saiyan added, keeping his energy sphere nested just above his hand. "Now, to use an energy wave technique, you gotta do the same sorta thing, but instead of throwing it, you gotta imagine you're firing a beam from it. Like it's extending outwards, or something."

"Okay!" Luster noted, trying to remember it all.

The bright, young spark formed a second energy sphere and pointed the palm of his hand outwards, much to his mentor's instructions. After imaging it turn into a beam, the ball began to turn into a yellow energy wave that made an extensively bigger hole in the mountain but leaving no rocky mess.

"You can do an energy wave by combining two energy spheres on both of your hands to create a more powerful attack," Goku tipped, demonstrating what he just said. "Well, you seem to be quite the fighter. How 'bout another spar?"

"I'd love to!" agreed Luster - his excitement levels were positively rising.

Perhaps even overflowing.

_My Excitement Levels are Rising - Overflowing!_

Luster took one side of the area in front of the abode, as did Goku with the reflecting other half. The two stood in a 'ready' stance, and on the count of three, the sparring match began.

The Mobian used a surprise technique - using a Spin Jump and propelling it forward with his Flight ability to create an Aerial Spin Dash. Goku needed only to block this by putting his arms in an x-formation, which he then used an uppercut to send the battle in the air.

As soon as Luster was smacked into the oxygen, Goku somehow teleported up instantaneously, and attempted to perform a meteor cut - to no effect. The cat used physics to evade the strike, and retaliated with a powerful energy sphere. Goku deflected the attack and fired his own, to which Luster responded with another ball, creating a small cloud of smoke.

Taking this opportunity, Luster charged in and attempted to hit the Saiyan with a barrage of never-ending punches and ending with an Aerial Spin Dash. Goku blocked all of it, and grabbed the Mobian by the leg and slammed him into the Earth below, firing an energy wave.

Mobian returned the favour with his own energy wave, creating his first beam struggle. Goku didn't want to use too much power - he may end up vaporising the little guy. But he had to use some, because surprisingly, Luster was putting up a good fight. He couldn't quite explain it. Sure, Gohan in his teenage years had shown some latent potential coming out for the first time, but this felt different. Strange, different.

It didn't matter to him though. For Goku, it's all about fighting new people and testing his limits. This is a perfect time to do so.

Since the beam struggle ended in a draw, Goku returned to the ground and helped Luster to stand up erect, appreciating his abilities and capabilities.

"You're good. Pretty good," Goku complimented, laying one hand on the cat's shoulder. "Get some more training of everything done, and you'll definitely become a formidable opponent one day."

"Thanks, Goku!" Luster thanked, smiling to no end.

Truly, it was more than a teacher-student bond these two had. It was more then a friendship - a warrior's bond.

_Scene Change_

_Meanwhile..._

A lone Namek shot across the skies of the world, his eyes and mind deadset on moving forward. Piccolo had sensed some strange energy earlier - not of a Chaos Emerald, nor was it anything ki-like. The thing is, he recognised it, like he had faced the owner of the energy signal before.

It confused him. Perhaps it was an old enemy come to rekindle an unlit flame.

_Frieza? Cell? No, they're dead. They have to be dead. Whatever this thing is, it's certainly not either one of them, _Piccolo thought, eliminating the two most obvious choices from his checklist of 'whatever it is'.

As he split the clouds, the green being could feel he was getting closer. As he descended into the barren wasteland below him, he could see faint shades of purple and black flickers of darkness.

_Normally, I would instigate this...but I have more important tasks to attend to, _Piccolo decided, flying away from the scene, leaving the darkness alone.

For good.

_Remember Him?_

Blasting away from the unknown wasteland consisting of red sand, mountains and a hefty amount of rocks and boulders, he decided to warn others of Vegeta's lust for the emeralds' insane power. Something he considered sensible to do.

In seconds, the warrior landed upon the small, circular island, noticing some familiar faces. Ironically, he was glad to see them.

"Piccolo? Why are you here?" Turtle wondered, relaxing upon a chair.

"I am here to deliver important news that may or may not save your very existence. Everyone should hear this," Piccolo demanded, as Turtle gave in.

He slowly crawled to the front door and entered, soon exiting with all the current residents of the Kame House. Krillin, Android 18, Yamcha, Oolong, Puar and Master Roshi. Marron, the child of the first two, was currently resting.

"What do ya want? I was busy lookin' at some important magazines!" Master Roshi complained, wanting answers.

"Calm down. I am only here to deliver a message," Piccolo calmed, clearing his throat. "I am sure all of you that can sense ki levels are aware of eight powerful signals coming from all parts of the world. Those powers are gems wielding power that is not of this world. I am not aware of their limitations. Though, I do know that they can grant great power to the wielder."

"Whoa, really?" Krillin wondered, looking surprised. "What else? Y'know, the way you ended that off sounds like ya got something else to say."

In fact, everyone looked surprised. Several gems that hold amazing power? Untold of.

Piccolo took a deep breath, and made sure he was loud and clear enough for everyone on the island to hear.

"Vegeta is currently looking for them. I suspect for evil purposes. We cannot allow this. We must stop Vegeta."

* * *

_Our world is under a grand spell,_

_As I sit right here and wait on for you,_

_Keep relyin' on you to keep me strong,_

_Without you there, life is a living hell._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how, to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_When I'm alone_

_I have to dream to see_

_When I am alone in the empty room_

_To know what's it's like_

_To be strong_

_On my own...lonesome._

_Beyond the world there exists_

_A being, capable of such grand power_

_I wish I was that being, oh I do_

_So I won't, have to cower._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(help me)_

_When I'm alone_

_Must train everyday_

_When I am alone on the lime sofa_

_What's it all about?_

_To be strong_

_Must train...everyday._

_In my dreams_

_In my wildest dreams_

_I find something new_

_Bestest friend._

_Blue hero_

_Yellow flying fox_

_Then, there is me_

_All alone._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(goodbye)_

* * *

_**Author Notes: **_**Looks like the plot thickens some more! Luster grows stronger, too. Now he's a much more formidable foe.**


	5. Hyperbolic Time

_Disclaimer: I do not own, neither do I claim to own, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, or the Dragon Ball Z franchise. Neither do I own any branch, spin-off or anything pertaining to the two series. SEGA owns Sonic, while Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation and FUNimation all own DBZ._

_Claimer: On the flip side, I am the owner of Luster the Cat, Megan the Wolf, Jack the Cat, Entity, Quill, that one villain in Power of Unknown, and all the original Eggman robots that appeared in Season 1. Contact me if you want to use any of these characters or ideas in your work._

* * *

_Last time, on Luster the Cat..._

Son Goku and Luster the Cat trained somewhat, with the each starting to understand a bit more about the other, creating a strong bond between the two. Luster had learnt how to control his ki - his inner life force.

Piccolo had the smart idea to inform the residents of the Kame House of Vegeta's potential Chaos Emerald-related malicious intentions.

Now, approximately an hour after Goku and Luster finished training, the two decided to go for another round.

_Sparring_

Luster lunged ahead with a punch, while Goku dodged and used an air pressure punch, forcing the cat back someways. He fought back with an energy blast. Goku did the exact same thing with the resulting forces creating a cloud of smoke that covered the two's field of vision. It would seem to any ordinary person that both would be at a disadvantage - however, ki sensing was a thing.

Goku used Instant Transmission to get behind Luster and strike with a forceful, blue energy beam.

"Kame-hame-ha!" Goku chanted, firing the attack.

Luster stood, with his muscles tingling. He could sense his sparring partner behind him. There was the only trouble of turning around; there was absolutely no time to do so. Out of all possibilities, the Mobian selected one that saved him, but not the trees that were in the way.

Using Ki Flight to avoid being blasted, Luster dropped on the Saiyan's head with a Spin Jump, of which forced the blue wave to die down. Luckily, the short stun the hop formed allowed Luster to fire off a barrage of fists, ending with one forceful strike. His furry knuckles collided with the weighted gi, sending the warrior back a good few centimetres.

"That was a close one!" Luster commented, charging in with an Aerial Spin Dash. "I'm just gettin' warmed up!"

_CLASH!_

Luster's attack crashed right on Goku's block, allowing the experienced fighter to retaliate with a punch of his own.

Whilst all of this was going on, Goten and Gohan watched with intense wonder.

"That cat fights really weirdly," Goten observed, really getting immersed in the spar.

"He IS from a different dimension, little bro. You'd expect him to fight differently," Gohan stated. "I bet dad's excited that there's a whole other universe full of people like Luster."

"Yeah, probably! I wonder what kinda food they have!" Goten exclaimed, getting all excited thanks to his brother.

Their minds were taken off the intense, energy-packed sparring match taking place in the background. It was still raging on - with both opponents standing with hunched over backs, breathing in and out.

* * *

_Come slide down rainbows in the sky, let's fly away!_

_Like a bird, you're free to see the boundless face of the Earth!_

_Let the wind blow you like a kite,_

_and glide away!_

_Far beyond the clouds,_

_You'll find another place!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_Sparking!_

_Zooming round and round_

_The endless sky like a coaster!_

_Hold on tight, or you may find yourself trapped in a maze!_

_When that happens,_

_You may think you won't ever find your way_

_As the paths that you may take_

_All seem the same!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the night!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_AH, HA, AH, HA! Cha-La!_

* * *

"Ha!" Luster grunted, firing off an energy sphere.

Instead of coming to contact with his foe, the sphere was stopped dead in it's tracks by something he had never seen before, from Goku. It was a large sphere that surrounded the Saiyan - made of ki? This interested him.

"I bet you're wondering what I just did," Goku grinned, straightening his blue belt. "I'll tell you about it in a sec. First of all, good match! I can tell you're getting better at fighting. That's enough sparring for now - time to get back to training!"

"I like training! So what am I gonna learn now? How to do that Kameha attack?" Luster speculated aloud, eager to learn new techniques.

"Maybe..." Goku teased, laughing a little. "Having powerful techniques like these are great to have. It gives you an identity. Also, the power and technicality behind each attack are actually pretty different. I'm just wondering if you can handle it."

Luster nodded ferociously.

"Of course I can handle it!" the young, cyan cat refuted, not taking no for an answer.

"Okay then. Time to teach ya how to use the Kamehameha!" Goku announced, cupping his hands to his side. "To start off, cup your hands like I am now."

The Mobian followed orders, forming the overturned V-shape with his gloved hands. Patiently awaiting for further instructions, Luster held the position steady.

_He's good at that,_ Goku noted. "Now start to form energy between both of your hands, then thrust your body and hands forward and release the energy!"

Luster nodded again, understanding perfectly. He untapped the knowledge gained in the previous lesson about ki control and started to form a blue sphere of energy in the small space between his fabric-covered palms.

"Whoa!" He yelped slightly, overwhelmed by how much power he held.

"Yeah, I know! The Kamehameha holds so much raw power...if you're not ready for it, you won't be able to control it. Seems like you were ready!" Goku commented, before releasing the wave.

_I dunno if I'll be able to even do this...but I'll try! _Luster reassured himself, regaining his composure and placing one foot forward.

He had a straining expression on his face, like he was having difficulty controlling the power. Which he indeed was.

_Now if I could just..._ thought Luster, trying to release his built-up energy into a beam.

All the strain had subsided, as if it was being swept away by a gust of wind, or a large wave. All built-up energy had been officially released into the small blue energy wave that emitted from his hands.

It felt brilliant.

"I did it!" Luster celebrated, as his very first Kamehameha shot into the sky, piercing the clouds and leaving the atmosphere and planet altogether.

The beam was small, but Goku recognised that small Kamehameha.

"Kinda reminds me of when I first learnt it..."

_Memories_

_"That was incredible!" Goku complimented, excited that his mentor was so powerful. "Can you teach me how to do it?"_

_"Sure, but it will take you fifty years to master the Kamehameha Wave," Master Roshi accepted._

_Goku was, less than disappointed. He didn't wish to take so long just to learn one simple technique._

_"Aww...fifty years?" the child complained, looking at his small, stubby body._

_"Master, why don't you come live with us?" Ox-King suggested, relieved that the flames were finally extinguished._

_"I appreciate the offer, but I really do enjoy living by myself," Roshi answered, turning down the king's offer._

_Without warning, Goku got in a strange pose, cupping his hands and chanting._

_"Ka...me..." focused Goku, attempting to perform the attack for himself. "Ha-me-HA!"_

_At the very last section of the chant, Goku released a small beam of energy and tore into the red car that he was aiming for. Chi-Chi, Roshi and the Ox-King were all surprised at this happening._

_Goku was using the Kamehameha?!_

_As the technique died down, the damage dealt was revealed. The engine burst, and it was rendered unusable._

_Goku was shaking after using such a legendary move - but he was disappointed._

_"Aw...it was nothing compared to what the Turtle Hermit did..." he moaned, looking at his tiny hands._

_Was it his fault that the attack was weak?_

_Flashback of a Distant Time_

"Good times..." Goku reminisced, while Luster continued to jump up and down in celebration.

Gohan was clapping, too.

"Nice work, Luster! That seemed like a strong attack!" the Half-Saiyan complimented, thumbing him up.

Luster replied with his own thumbs-up, until he turned to Goku.

"What am I gonna learn next?" Luster wondered, anticipating the next technique he'd be learning.

"The Instant Transmission! It can get you to any place instantly, as long as it isn't too far away and it has a ki signature!" Goku proclaimed. "When you learn this, it'll help you to learn something else. But for now, focus on this technique."

"Okay!" acknowledged Luster, preparing his ki for anything that comes up next.

"Gohan! Could you fly over to the other side of the nearest lake?" Goku requested, turning to his eldest son.

He had no qualms with doing this.

"Sure thing, dad!" Gohan accepted, flying away from the area.

"Now, watch this!" Goku instructed, making his index and middle finger touch and placing them onto his forehead.

A split second later, the Saiyan went from being right next to Luster, to being just in front of Goten.

"Cool! I wanna try!" Luster smiled, getting all excited again.

"Good! Now, with this technique, you can also transport people as long as they're touching you. No doubt this'll become helpful in the future!" stated Goku, smiling back. "If you have your first and second finger, from the left of your hand, touch and focus your ki, you'll be able to concentrate and perform the technique quicker. You can do it without having to do anything with your hand, but extra time will be taken."

Luster seemed to note this all down in his mind, because he was nodding along. Joining his two fingers and placing them on his forehead just like the powerful hero before him, he started to focus on Gohan's ki.

Luckily, Gohan had suppressed his ki levels, so the pressure of focusing on it wasn't too straining. As Luster confirmed he had a 'firm grip' on Gohan, he came to a halt.

"What am I supposed to do when I lock onto ki?" Luster questioned, stopping the process.

"Oh! I forgot that part!" Goku cheekily grinned, feeling embarrassed. "When you've locked onto a ki signature, just imagine your ki is right next to it. Before you know it, you'll be there. It's not hard when you get used to it."

Luster took this into consideration when locking onto Gohan for the second time. As Goku said, before he knew it, the cat was exactly where Gohan was - next to a lake, surrounded by flowers.

"Hey, Luster. I knew what dad was gonna teach you next, so that's why I went here without fussing," explained Gohan, standing up. "Glad to see you got the hang of Instant Transmission! Why don't you go back to my dad, and I'll meetcha there?"

"Okay!" the cat nodded, focusing and teleporting back to where he came from.

Back at the Son Family residence, the three Sons and the Mobian stretched a little after having been outside for so long. Goku then started to inform Luster of what was being taught to him next.

"So, I said earlier that learning the Instant Transmission will help ya with another technique, and that's called the Afterimage," Goku stated. "Have you ever moved so fast, that a ghost-like version of you is where you once were?"

"No, but Sonic has. A lot," Luster answered, thinking back.

"Oh, okay. This technique allows you to move at speeds faster than the eye can see, temporarily! These can be used in a chain for a total of three or four times and they can also be used to dodge attacks you couldn't otherwise block!" explained Goku, readying his ki. "Try and punch me."

"Okay!" Luster responded, attempting to attack his mentor.

_Super Speeds, Super Heroes_

However, the cat's eyes failed him, as the Goku he thought was there had turned into an afterimage.

"Huh?"

Turning around, Luster noticed Goku had got behind him without any suspicions.

"To avoid being confused by this technique, you can always rely on your sensing ability," Goku advised, giving his student a handy tip. "In order to use Afterimage, you need to build up ki in your entire body and try to move normally. You'll end up moving at great speeds, creating afterimages whenever you build up more ki. It's not as hard to do as the Kamehameha or Instant Transmission."

Taking this into mind, Luster started to send ki to all corners and sections of his Mobian body. That didn't take long to do. As soon as he had done that, the cat started to move and just like Goku had said, he was moving incredibly quickly!

_Sonic'll be proud of me! _Luster smiled, as he began to move around with this speed increase.

Much to his chagrin, the Afterimage effect would only last for approximately ten seconds. Luster felt immense disappointment, but was still relieved nonetheless.

"To wrap this lesson up, we'll end with the technique I used to block your ki blast in our spar earlier. It's called a ki shield and it's really easy to do," declared Goku. "All you need to do is to surround your body with ki. That's it, really. The more ki you put in, the stronger the shield will be...and if you REALLY amp it up, you can use the Super Explosive Wave technique."

"Ooh..." Luster speculated. "What does it do?"

"Super Explosive Wave? It covers a large area, and deals damage every second you keep it up for. Unfortunately...it can take a whole lot of energy outta you, so watch out," warned Goku, demonstrating the basic ki shield. "Try it!"

Nodding like he usually does when he receives new information, Luster followed instructions and began to create a small ki shield around himself.

"Nice! Now to test it!" Goku continued, releasing a Kamehameha Wave, aiming for Luster.

It wasn't too powerful - but the Saiyan made sure it was powerful enough to test Luster. The weird thing was:

He almost got serious.

_He's really testing me...but I think I'm at my limit..._ Luster panted. "I'm ready to stop."

At that, Goku powered down his attack as did Luster with his ki shield. The two were literally panting. Neither one was fake.

"You're really getting there. Stronger every second," commented Goku.

"Hey dad, I got an idea!" Goten cut in, jumping off the log he was sitting on with Gohan. "Why don't you put the cat in that Hyper-time place-thingy?"

Luster was more-than-confused at this.

"Hyper time? What's that?" he questioned, wanting answers.

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber," Goku corrected. "Inside it, time passes much more slowly than here. You can get a years worth of training in a day!"

"Awesome!" Luster commented, excited to see such a place.

"Yeah, it is! Though, you can only spend two days in there. If you take any longer, you'll be locked in and the door to the chamber will disappear. What will make things worse for you, is that the gravity inside there is ten times that of Earth," Goku warned, recalling his past experiences with the room. "I'm sure you could handle it."

"I once went into space. Does that count?" Luster wondered, recalling a past memory of his.

"No...but it does mean you have experience with gravity change. It's worth a shot, at least," Goku finished, raising his two fingers to his forehead. "Ready to go?"

"Uh-huh!" Luster confirmed, poking Goku.

As soon as the tip of his finger made contact with his mentor's body, the Saiyan I.T'd away to a familiar location. Well, familiar to _him_.

_Back to the Lookout_

Upon a white bricked (with a red and green pattern on the side) lookout, Luster the Cat and Son Goku had reappeared upon the platform. Luster was absolutely amazed, to say the least.

"This place looks cool! Those trees...that temple! How high up are we?" Luster questioned, Spin Dashing around the place to look at pretty much _everything_.

As Goku was about to answer and as Luster stopped at the temple entrance, two strange looking people emerged from the inside to greet the two. Goku knew who these were.

"We are higher up than the clouds. We're close to the stratosphere!" the little green one informed.

"This is a sacred place with a lot of history. We have been watching you for a while, young one," the larger darker-skinned one added.

"Dende! Mr. Popo! Nice to see ya again!" Goku greeted, walking towards his two friends.

"You've been watching me?" Luster asked, curious.

Mr. Popo and Dende giggled a tiny bit, before regaining their powerful composure.

"It is a pleasure to see you once more, Goku. Our last meeting was far too long ago," Popo replied. "And for your question, Luster, from this lookout, we can see any event that transpires in the Earth, if we so choose to watch it. Ever since your arrival in this world, we know exactly what you've done."

"Yeah. Those powerful gems you call 'Chaos Emeralds' have been scattered across the entire world," Dende continued. "Vegeta is currently searching for them for reasons unknown and Piccolo is trying to stop him. He fears that the prince might become corrupted with the power, and return to his evil self."

"Vegeta? I bet he wants to beat me...that mindset of his won't fade. Anyway, I wanna take Luster here inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber by himself," Goku commented, with the cat smiling.

"Say no more. Come, follow me you two," Mr. Popo requested, walking inside the temple.

Goku and Luster followed suit, while Dende remained outside. Presumably to continue his watch over the world.

_Corruption_

As Popo lead the two fighters through the circular, long hallways of the lookout's temple, Luster thought now would be an appropriate time for questions.

"Who are these guys?" Luster wondered, turning to face the taller Saiyan.

"Mr. Popo and Dende? Mr. Popo's the assistant to whoever the guardian of Earth is. Dende IS the guardian of Earth. He oversees anything important that goes on in the planet. Together they guard Kami's Lookout, though it should really be called Dende's Lookout now," Goku answered. "But I think we do it out of respect to Kami, the previous guardian of Earth."

"Oh," Luster replied. "That's nice!"

"Gentlemen?" Mr. Popo attracted the two's attention, stopping in front of a singular door. "Here is the door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Since you are going in alone, Luster, I loaded the main temple with training bags for you to hone your abilities on."

"Really? Thanks!" Luster thanked, giving Mr. Popo a thumbs-up.

As Popo opened the door leading to the time chamber, Goku and Luster high-fived. The Saiyan watched on as his new Mobian friend entered the time chamber by himself, all alone.

"When do you plan to retrieve him?" Mr. Popo asked, once the door had closed behind Luster.

"About an hour before his forty-eight hour time limit is up," Goku answered, folding his arms. "That way he gets as much training time as possible."

"I see. Well, I assume you are going to investigate those emeralds now?" Popo continued with the questions.

"Probably. If Vegeta's going after them, there's no question before he gets corrupted. Piccolo must know what he's doing. I may not have to intervene at all," Goku replied, grinning. "But hey, a super-powered battle against Vegeta? I'd say yes to that!"

_Oh Goku...I half expected that answer from you, _Popo thought. "Goodbye, Goku. I hope your travels take you great places."

"See ya!" Goku returned, walking out the temple and flying away from the lookout.

_Intense Training_

Meanwhile, in a cold mountainous area, two Z-Fighters were training under strict guidelines. Never-ending battles in harsh environments, never giving up and never slowing down.

These two were Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu, former members of the Crane school. They were going to get a strict obstruction in their training session.

As Dodon Rays were fired left, right and centre, something caught the keen eyes of Chiaotzu. A shining rock, buried with the snow.

"Hold on, Tien. Don't you sense something powerful?" Chiaotzu halted, stopping the battle.

"I do. What is it?" Tien questioned, following Chiaotzu to the blinding purple light near them.

As Chiaotzu dragged it out using his telekinesis ability, the two marvelled upon it's beauty and power.

"I thought emeralds were green," Tien doubted.

"I think it's a diamond," Chiaotzu suggested.

"How can that be? It's _purple_!" Tien refuted, grabbing the gem. "This power..."

"...belongs to me," a familiar, sinister voice spoke.

A Saiyan wearing a blue Saiyan armour descended, touching the snow below.

"Vegeta? What do _you_ of all people want?" Tien asked. "You want this diamond, don't you?"

"Yes. And you're going to give it to me," Vegeta demanded. "Or else..."

Power and energy emanated around Vegeta, as his hair turned gold and sparks flew around his aura. He had transcended to Super Saiyan 2.

"I'll take it from you by force."

Vegeta has encountered Tien with the purple Chaos Emerald! In a pressing situation, Vegeta transforms to Super Saiyan 2 and demands the emerald. How will Tien deal with a Super Saiyan? How will Luster cope in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber? Find out in the next chapter of...Luster the Cat!

* * *

_Our world is under a grand spell,_

_As I sit right here and wait on for you,_

_Keep relyin' on you to keep me strong,_

_Without you there, life is a living hell._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how, to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_When I'm alone_

_I have to dream to see_

_When I am alone in the empty room_

_To know what's it's like_

_To be strong_

_On my own...lonesome._

_Beyond the world there exists_

_A being, capable of such grand power_

_I wish I was that being, oh I do_

_So I won't, have to cower._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(help me)_

_When I'm alone_

_Must train everyday_

_When I am alone on the lime sofa_

_What's it all about?_

_To be strong_

_Must train...everyday._

_In my dreams_

_In my wildest dreams_

_I find something new_

_Bestest friend._

_Blue hero_

_Yellow flying fox_

_Then, there is me_

_All alone._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(goodbye)_

* * *

_**Author Notes: **_**Chapter 76 of the LTC series is out!**

**Also, Super Smash Brothers on Nintendo 3DS' release date is near. HYPE**

**Loving the music from Naruto. Namikaze Satellite really pushed me to make this chapter. So good!**


	6. Confrontation

_Disclaimer: I do not own, neither do I claim to own, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, or the Dragon Ball Z franchise. Neither do I own any branch, spin-off or anything pertaining to the two series. SEGA owns Sonic, while Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation and FUNimation all own DBZ._

_Claimer: On the flip side, I am the owner of Luster the Cat, Megan the Wolf, Jack the Cat, Entity, Quill, that one villain in Power of Unknown, and all the original Eggman robots that appeared in Season 1. Contact me if you want to use any of these characters or ideas in your work._

* * *

_Last time, on Luster the Cat..._

Son Goku and Luster the Cat continued their training. This time, Luster learnt the Kamehameha, how to defend himself with the Ki Shield and Afterimage and how to teleport to places with the Instant Transmission. It was then decided that Luster should spend two years worth of training in the mysterious Hyperbolic Time Chamber - where two days in the real world equals two years inside the chamber.

Meanwhile, Vegeta continues his quest for the Chaos Emeralds, meeting up with Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu, old friends of Goku. Since the two good friends refuse to hand Vegeta the emerald they had, Vegeta challenged Tien in Super Saiyan 2. Can Tien survive?

_Tipping the Scales_

"I'll have to take from you by force," Super Saiyan 2 Vegeta threatened, charging at Tien with all his strength.

Tien tried to dodge the punch the Saiyan Prince gave him, but he was just too fast.

_It seems my endless training isn't enough to take on Vegeta...man this hurts..._ the fierce human warrior considered, dropping to the snow in pain.

"That's why you should never get in my way! Kid, hand me that stone, or else you'll become like your friend here!" demanded Vegeta, slowly walking towards Chiaotzu, who had the purple emerald.

Chiaotzu was trembling in fear at this point. His best friend had collapsed by only _one _punch. His best, strong friend. What could a weakling like him do?

"Chiaotzu...remain calm. Don't forget...everything we've been through...in the last few months-" Tien croaked, spitting out blood. "-Just give him the stone. I don't want-I don't want you to die. You're my best friend, Chiaotzu..."

"Tien..." Chiaotzu cried, fearing the worst. "No Tien...you can't die..."

"I'm sorry to ruin this touching moment, but could I get the darn stone NOW?! I'm not waiting any longer!" Super Saiyan 2 Vegeta extorted, impatient.

As tears fell down the little person's face, he thought of something. Turning around, Chiaotzu decided to do something crazy.

"No..." Chiaotzu declined, holding back his sorrow. "I will not give into you!"

"Why you..." Vegeta grunted, charging an energy beam in anger. "You will not stop me in my path!"

_Chiaotzu..._ Tien thought, unable to speak.

Vegeta fired his energy beam, though it seemed to have missed it's target somehow.

"What?! How did I..." the arrogant Prince wondered, noticing that the little boy had stepped to the side. "I won't miss again!"

"Tien!" Chiaotzu yelled. "Catch!"

Though he didn't seem to physically do anything, young Chiaotzu was actually using his psychokinesis to levitate the purple Chaos Emerald over to his friend's palm.

Tien smiled, and accepted the emerald. When he grasped it, power surged through him like nothing he had ever witnessed before in his years of living. Even though this power was foreign, he knew one thing he was gonna do with it.

Allowing the power to pour through his system, fixing everything wrong with his internal organs and igniting his energy and desire to fight, Tien stood up - like nothing had happened.

"What?! I thought I punched you in the gut? What's the matter with you?!" Vegeta questioned. "It's that darn emerald, isn't it?!"

"That's correct. Now, watch me defeat you with just one blast," Tien grinned, becoming smug.

"I'd like to see you try!" laughed Vegeta, enjoying this bluff.

Chiaotzu knew exactly how this was going to work out. He had faith in his longtime friend and partner.

Vegeta charged a beam of purple energy in his two palms, cupping them in order to build up energy quickly. Tien did the same, but instead of cupping anything, he pointed his left arm and index finger out, charging yellow ki from the very tip.

"Galick Gun!" the Super Saiyan yelled, releasing the attack.

"Neo Dodon Ray!" the Human returned, releasing his own technique.

When the two attacks met, they didn't collide like what was usually expected from the heroes and villains of the world. Instead, Tien's Neo Dodon Ray attack tore right through the middle of Vegeta's Galick Gun, striking the Saiyan directly in the chest.

Ending what would be the Dragon World's quickest beam struggle, the Dodon Ray struck Vegeta's Saiyan Armour and tore straight through it, forcing Vegeta to stop his attack. Now, it seems the table had turned on Vegeta. The Neo Dodon Ray had forced Vegeta out of his Super Saiyan 2 state and knocked him to the ground, out of energy.

But all was not well.

"You...that emerald...if I had come here first, you would have been doomed. Now I can't fight! I need to find the other emeralds! Then I can otherthrow Kakarot as the strongest Saiyan on Earth!" Vegeta said, determined to carry out his goal. "Do not think you have me beat just yet! I will redeem this humiliating loss..."

Cursing out Tien and the Chaos Emeralds, the prideful prince flew away, onto the signature of another Chaos Emerald that hopefully had not been discovered yet.

"Tien...that gem helped you out there!" Chiaotzu celebrated, happy to see his comrade had made such a quick recovery. "It healed your wounds in an instant!"

"Chiaotzu. If it weren't for you, I would not have made it out of that fight alive," Tien replied, putting one hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Though, Vegeta's savage. With the kind of power these emeralds hold, they could easily corrupt him, like Babadi did."

"I remember! That was back when Majin Buu was a threat!" Chiaotzu recalled. _I didn't do anything then, but I hope to change that someday!_

"Yes, it was. Anyway, we have to get any of these emeralds to Goku. He's the only one that can calm Vegeta down," Tien stated. "I didn't think I'd have to come back for a long time. But it looks like we'll have to pay a visit to our old friend."

* * *

_Come slide down rainbows in the sky, let's fly away!_

_Like a bird, you're free to see the boundless face of the Earth!_

_Let the wind blow you like a kite,_

_and glide away!_

_Far beyond the clouds,_

_You'll find another place!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_Sparking!_

_Zooming round and round_

_The endless sky like a coaster!_

_Hold on tight, or you may find yourself trapped in a maze!_

_When that happens,_

_You may think you won't ever find your way_

_As the paths that you may take_

_All seem the same!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the night!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_AH, HA, AH, HA! Cha-La!_

* * *

Outside 439 East District, the main four Son family members contemplate their next move. With Luster pre-occupied with training, there was only one thing left to do.

"I say we should go after Vegeta. Dende did say he was after those emeralds," Goku suggested, putting the first idea on the imaginary table.

"That's our only option," Gohan agreed. "Luster said those gems are ultra-powerful. If Vegeta gets his hands on them, not only will he beat dad, but he'll destroy the planet in confidence!"

"But Vegeta has a family. Would he really do that to them? I've seen Bulma, Vegeta and Trunks together - although he seems to hate the experience on the outside, he's actually a good father. He wouldn't dare," Chi-Chi debated.

"You know how evil he was back when we first encountered him! You know how prideful he is!" returned Gohan, standing up.

"He wouldn't do that, brother!" Goten replied, furious. "Trunks said Vegeta's awesome, and I believe Trunks, so Vegeta's awesome!"

"Goten...I'm only stating the possibilities..."

Goku stood up. "Son...while you're right, sometimes the possiblities can scare people," he informed, placing one arm on the adult's shoulder.

"Sorry, dad...sorry Goten...sorry mum..." Gohan apologised to his family, regretting what he has said. "Sorry for scaring you all."

Goten and Chi-Chi accepted Gohan's apology. After all, they couldn't stay mad for too long - they both loved him.

"You do bring up a point, though. That's why I'm gonna find those Chaos Emeralds before Vegeta! You guys in?" said Goku, clenching his fist in determination.

Gohan and Goten stood up in the heat of the moment, happily accepting the job.

"Great! If we split up, we'll cover more ground that way," Goku ordered. "I'll go north."

"I'll go find Piccolo, then get his emerald," Gohan nodded, confirming his job. "After that, I'll head west."

"I'll go- wait, can jewels move?" Goten wondered, picking up a strange signal. "'Cause one's coming our way!"

"Who is it? Piccolo?" Gohan asked, picking up the same signal as his little brother. "No way! It can't be..."

As the figure strolled ever closer to the quartet, two figures made their sudden, timely appearence. A man with green clothes and visible abs holding a purple gem, along with a small, pale white boy with royal green clothes.

"Hey, Tien! Haven't seen ya in a while!" Goku greeted, walking towards his friend. "What's that ya got there in your hand?"

"Nice to see you all again, too. I've been busy training in different kinds of regions, but I'm here to inform you all about Vegeta's current intentions," Tien started.

"We're aware," Gohan chipped in, saving their friend some trouble.

"Good. That saves me time," Tien breathed out in relief. "As for this gem...it holds impressive power. It allowed me to defeat Vegeta in his Super Saiyan 2 form with just one Neo Dodon Ray."

Everyone was surprised, garnering shocked expressions upon all of their faces.

"Really, Tien?! The gem's _that_ powerful?" Goku questioned, in slight disbelief. "I'm not even sure I'd be able to do that, even in Super Saiyan 3!"

"Indeed," Tien answered, holding his arm containing the emerald out. "Here, take it. You need to calm Vegeta down, Goku."

Goku accepted the purple emerald, now experiencing the powerful and tingling sensation of Chaos Energy at his fingertips.

"Whoa! This sure is powerful! Luster said his friends have been using these gems...what're they called again, Gohan?"

"Chaos Emeralds. If just one is enough to top Super Saiyan 2, just imagine what all eight can do! It'd be power beyond our imagination!" Gohan answered, containing his excitement.

"Who's Luster?" Chiaotzu asked, confused.

"A cat from another dimension. He got sent here after a battle by mistake," Goku answered, turning to the small person. "I sensed potential in him, so I've become his mentor."

"Mentor, huh? That's just like you, Goku," Tien smiled, reminiscing of the past times he's had with the Saiyan. "Anyway, Chiaotzu and I are returning to our training. Goodbye, everyone."

The Son family waved goodbye, as the two best friends left the east district for a randomly selected location.

"Now that we know what we're looking for, let's all split!" Goku ordered, as the three Saiyans blasted away to locate their own targets.

_Chaos Emeralds...here we come! _They all thought, at pretty much the exact same moment.

_Glorius Emerald Hunt_

Mere minutes after leaving, Gohan blasted through the surrounding oxygen, in his search for his old mentor: Piccolo.

_Piccolo's on the move...it looks like he's going for another emerald. Looks like I'll have to speed up! _Gohan noticed, quickly transforming into a regular Super Saiyan to multiply his speed.

_Is this necessary?_

Several hundred seconds passed as Super Saiyan Gohan shot through the skies, homing in on Piccolo's current location, which was at the side of a circular mountain.

_That emerald is below ground. Quickest way to do so, would be this..._ Piccolo sensed, firing an energy sphere at the ground where the Chaos Emerald supposedly was.

The small crater formed contained the exact emerald the Namekian was looking for - the yellow emerald.

_All eight of these emeralds must be multi-coloured. That'll make them easier to distinguish, and Gohan's coming. I'm guessing he found out about these things, too,_ Piccolo thought, ascending to meet his good buddy.

"Hey, Piccolo! How's things?" Gohan greeted, being all polite.

"Good," Piccolo responded. "I'm guessing you're here for the gems I have."

"Yeah. Dad informed us of the situation. He and Luster, a new friend of ours, found it out from Dende, then dad returned and told Mum, Goten and I."

"Then you'll be needing them more than I do," Piccolo admitted, handing Gohan his two emeralds.

"Whoah! A red and yellow one? I thought they were just purple."

"Purple?"

"Tien found one and gave it to us. So this makes three, leaving five left. Oh, by the way, they're apparently called Chaos Emeralds and are really ancient in Luster's world."

"I could tell they have historic value. But their resemblence to the Dragon Balls is...uncanny."

"Luster did say they grant the user incredible power, but nothing about wishes. But you're right; I wonder why they're so similar. Oh well, it shouldn't cause any problems or anything."

"No, it shouldn't. It just, bothered me."

Piccolo clenched his fist.

"Why's that?"

"Because...uh, never mind. Just go and stop Vegeta from getting the rest."

"Uh, okay then. See ya Piccolo!" Gohan finished, shooting into the distance.

_There's something to these emeralds. But perhaps I'm looking into it too closely, _Piccolo pondered. _Goku's family can sort out the emerald hunt from here. I'm done._

Piccolo too departed from the area, stopping his search for good.

_Confrontation_

While Goten and Goku had not reached an emerald yet, Vegeta had. But this one was different. It was large, green and more powerful than any other ones he had witnessed before.

_The emerald I found in that lake directed me towards this. Peculiar how close they are, _Vegeta remembered, grasping the emerald he had obtained moments earlier.

_Recollation_

_After a while of searching, Vegeta came across a colossal lake that was giving off strong readings of Chaos Energy._

_"It must be here! I have to heal my wounds..." the Saiyan Prince said to himself, quickly descending towards the body of water. "Those emeralds can heal a body in mere seconds. I have to have that kind of power! I have to prove myself to Kakarot! I'm not any kind of a pushover!"_

_Vegeta quickly realised he was getting mad in an open space, just above water. Composing himself, he held his breath and plunged into the depths of the drink, grabbing the dark blue emerald in record time._

_Without a thought about it, his gaping wound from Tien's attack had healed completely. Knowing that he can now fight, Vegeta sensed an even stronger Chaos Energy signal nearby and went to go check it out._

_A Master's Discovery_

Vegeta examined the massive emerald. It sure was bigger than the blue emerald he had, but it was easily lifted.

_I'm having to lug this around? No matter, I'll deal with it_, Vegeta tensed, able to hold the Master Emerald just above his head effortlessly.

However, a young Saiyan was observing from above.

"Vegeta! He's got a big one!" Goten shouted, accidentally revealing his location.

"Drat! Kakarot's son! He's got a gem too!" Vegeta gritted his teeth in frustration. _Well, I have two. So what's stopping me from taking his?_

Goten held onto his grey emerald that he recieved from the nearby beach, buried beneath the sand.

_I can't beat him on my own! I need daddy and big brother...but how am I gonna get them from here? _Goten thought, getting increasingly worried as his best friend's father came flying towards him, leaving the bigger emerald behind.

However, just as Goten finished praying for his father in his mind, the very person he wanted arrived, with two emeralds in hand.

"Good job, Goten! It's a good thing I was able to develop my mind-reading..." Goku smiled, holding the green emerald and purple emerald in his two hands. "Well, Vegeta. Nice to see you again."

"Drat! Kakarot, I'm not surprised you found me," Vegeta grinned. "I've been waiting for this moment! The day where I finally overthrow you as the greatest Saiyan on Earth!"

"You're still on that? Gee, way to be a broken record," Goku insulted, giggling a little. "Vegeta, this power is too great for someone like you. Too dangerous to be controlled - what if you destroy the planet in a fit of arrogance?"

"I have a family, you dolt! I'd never throw away what I've done in the past few years!"

"Would you really say that when you're power mad? I know you've fought off Babadi's control...but this is different. These emeralds have the power to go through time and space, Vegeta. We've never achieved that kind of raw power on our own. Piccolo told me Gotenks and Buu were able to escape from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber when they got trapped in. I'm probably able to do that, but you haven't mastered your Super Saiyan 3 yet."

"So? I can handle power, Kakarot! Don't you doubt me!" Vegeta denied, getting increasingly annoyed.

Goku sighed and handed his emeralds to Goten. "Vegeta, I'm doing this for your own good..."

The Saiyan punched Vegeta, who blocked the attack by raising his two arms in a boxing-like style.

"So that's the way it has to be. Fine then Kakarot!" Vegeta accepted, as the three Saiyans returned to Earth, putting all the emeralds they had into one pile. "Whoever wins this fight wins the emeralds! Deal?"

"Sounds like a deal-oh look, Gohan's here," Goku realised, as his own son arrived. "You got my mind message?"

"Yeah," Gohan replied, adding his emeralds to the pile.

"Is that all the emeralds?" Vegeta wondered, noticing the apparent lack of one final gem.

"No, Luster has one. I did that to make sure he becomes stronger, and so you'll never get it," Goku answered.

"Enough talk, Kakarot."

_3...2...1...FIGHT!_

"Let's go!" the two Saiyans yelled, colliding their fists.

Their fists touched each other like the dark clouds above, creating the thunder that set the tone for the upcoming battle of the ages.

Will Goku stop Vegeta from obtaining all seven Chaos Emeralds for whatever desires he may have, or will Vegeta prevail? Find out next time on...Luster the Cat!

* * *

_Our world is under a grand spell,_

_As I sit right here and wait on for you,_

_Keep relyin' on you to keep me strong,_

_Without you there, life is a living hell._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how, to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_When I'm alone_

_I have to dream to see_

_When I am alone in the empty room_

_To know what's it's like_

_To be strong_

_On my own...lonesome._

_Beyond the world there exists_

_A being, capable of such grand power_

_I wish I was that being, oh I do_

_So I won't, have to cower._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(help me)_

_When I'm alone_

_Must train everyday_

_When I am alone on the lime sofa_

_What's it all about?_

_To be strong_

_Must train...everyday._

_In my dreams_

_In my wildest dreams_

_I find something new_

_Bestest friend._

_Blue hero_

_Yellow flying fox_

_Then, there is me_

_All alone._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(goodbye)_

* * *

_**Author Notes: **_**Hoorah! C****hapter 6 is out! Sorry for not posting anything last week...procrastination and all. Then I got a cold...and things went bad. I'm better now, so yay.**

**Also, Super Smash Brothers for Nintendo 3DS is out. I've unlocked all characters and I must say...Sonic was given justice in the game. He's so much better. Duck Hunt Duo, Pac-Man and Shulk are some of my best characters as well. If you want my 3DS friend code, just message me about it.**

**Can't wait for the Wii U version!**

**Oh! Before I leave, I just want to say that during this chapter, I kinda muddled my brain with who had certain Chaos Emeralds, so I'm putting this here to remind you all who has what.**

**Goten = Grey**

**Vegeta = Master + Blue**

**Goku = Green + Purple**

**Gohan = Red + Yellow**

**Luster = Cyan.**

**As of now, all emeralds save for cyan have been collected and put in one place. Luster's still using cyan for his training, which was a clever move from Goku. Means Vegeta can't get to it. Well, he could, but that'd take too long, and besides, he has a battle to attend to.**

**Sorry, but one more thing. The reason why I updated this first is because the upcoming major Pokémon Investigative Organisation story arc is big, and someone whom was in the original RP with me is still in contact with me and he wanted to write something. So, I tasked him to do the story arc, meaning I have more time to do LTC chapters. Yay!**

**See you all next week!**


	7. Battle for the Emeralds

_Disclaimer: I do not own, neither do I claim to own, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, or the Dragon Ball Z franchise. Neither do I own any branch, spin-off or anything pertaining to the two series. SEGA owns Sonic, while Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation and FUNimation all own DBZ._

_Claimer: On the flip side, I am the owner of Luster the Cat, Megan the Wolf, Jack the Cat, Entity, Quill, that one villain in Power of Unknown, and all the original Eggman robots that appeared in Season 1. Contact me if you want to use any of these characters or ideas in your work._

* * *

_Last time, on Luster the Cat..._

The hunt for the Chaos Emeralds had properly started. Goku, Gohan and Goten split up to search for the eight emeralds, with Gohan finding Piccolo and getting his red emerald and another from the area. Goten did his own thing, coming across Vegeta who had discovered the dark blue emerald and the Master Emerald. Goku and Gohan arrived in the nick of time, and the two elder Saiyans psyched themselves for a fight.

_Recollation_

Now, almost all the emeralds were in one place, save for just one that was safely in the hands of Luster, whom was still training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. The stage was set.

_Slight trip back in time_

Inside the mysterious time chamber, several minutes after Goku left Luster alone, the anthropomorphic cat took a look around this un-familiar building. Within the confouds of the magestic room were what seems to be a clock of some kind on the ceiling, some regal looking plants and other assorted decorations, some beds with purple curtains, doors leading to other rooms. All of it left a good impression on the young warrior.

_This place is cool! Kinda reminds me of Chris' house...I remember I was so amazed when I first saw it! _Luster reminisced, remembering life with his friends. _Back then I was so weak...I can't even believe how strong I am now! With this kind of power, I can do anything! I wonder if I could bring my parents back..._

He then was hit by a wave of mental realisation.

_The Dragon Balls...Goku said those can revive dead people. I can use those to bring my mummy and daddy back! Yaaay!_

Luster still had his childish youth inside him. No matter how strong, fast or smart he had become, his naive personality still struck out like a beam of light in the darkness.

The cat held his arm out in front of him, staring at the Silver Ring with disbelief.

_I don't think this thing can help me out trying to stand this place's gravity...if only I..._

At the immediate moment the Mobian had finished complaining to himself about the increased gravity, his stomach started rumbling.

_I'm hungry! Where's the food? _

After some sharp turning to the two sides, Luster took a guess and went with the door on his left - which wasn't what he had desired.

_A bathroom? I could take a bath...but no, I need food. I haven't had that much in this world!_

Quickly slamming the regal door shut, the anthro turned to the other door on the exact opposite side of the room and opened it, revealing what he wanted.

_What's this?_

Looking all around said room, he witnessed several shelves full of boxes. Curious, the cat selected the nearest one and took it off the wooden foundations of the shelf. Taking off the lid carefully revealed the box to contain a rice bowl that had tin foil attatched to it.

_Food! Awesome!_

Thinking about nothing else, Luster tore the tin foil off and literally dove his head into the rice, picking out mouthfuls of the grains each second and downing them in a similar time frame. Within five minutes, the rice had been consumed, prompting him to place the bowl back into the box and to put it back where it was.

_Ooh...that was nice!_

He then stepped out of the food room and back into the main room, shutting all doors in his path. Luster knew what was coming up next.

_Looks like I'll have to go outside...to face the stuff Goku was talkin' about...what did he say?_

_Flashback_

_"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber," Goku corrected. "Inside it, time passes much more slowly than here. You can get a years worth of training in a day!"_

_"Awesome!" Luster commented, excited to see such a place._

_"Yeah, it is! Though, you can only spend two days in there. If you take any longer, you'll be locked in and the door to the chamber will disappear. What will make things worse for you, is that the gravity inside there is ten times that of Earth," Goku warned, recalling his past experiences with the room. "I'm sure you could handle it."_

_Backflash_

Luster was entirely fearful of what was going to happen next. Goku had explained the essential tips for training in the time chamber, but nothing else. Why? Why didn't the Saiyan go with him? It didn't make sense to the boy, but he didn't complain.

_If this is how I'm gonna get stronger...if THIS is how I'm gonna protect my parents, I HAVE to face it!_

He now grew a stern and confident look, pushing past his mental boundaries and allowing his legs to get him to the outside. What he saw was utterly bewildering - an empty white void full of nothing. The temple itself was probably the only thing in this purplexing place.

_Whoa...this room's huge! I wonder if it has an end._

The cat remained perched upon the front steps, taking in this new environment with great wonder.

_I shouldn't really go to far. There's nothing givin' out a ki signal from the temple, so how would I find my way back? I should really only be training right outside..._

As soon as he took his first step upon the mind-boggling emptiness, Luster immediately collapsed.

_Gravity...it's too strong! Wait, what if I...?_

A light blue aura shot from Luster's body, intensifying and becoming less opaque by the second. With this surge in power, the seven year old stood up perfectly still and found he was able to move each of his limbs without trouble.

_Yeah! I can move! Now, I can start training for two years!_

Luster began punching, kicking and shooting energy blasts - doing everything he could to improve himself and his fighting style. He worked on everything, even if it didn't need improvements. Training had offically started for the little cat.

Eventually, Mr. Popo would walk inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, handing Luster the light blue Chaos Emerald. This would begin to assist his training immensely.

* * *

_Come slide down rainbows in the sky, let's fly away!_

_Like a bird, you're free to see the boundless face of the Earth!_

_Let the wind blow you like a kite,_

_and glide away!_

_Far beyond the clouds,_

_You'll find another place!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_Sparking!_

_Zooming round and round_

_The endless sky like a coaster!_

_Hold on tight, or you may find yourself trapped in a maze!_

_When that happens,_

_You may think you won't ever find your way_

_As the paths that you may take_

_All seem the same!_

_If the road ahead seems so cold and gray,_

_When night never turns to day,_

_Don't you be afraid, go fly away!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the night!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_No time to hesitate,_

_Go on and search the Earth!_

_Within it lies a magic surprise!_

_Cha-La Head-Cha-La_

_Be cool, don't be afraid, you've got power_

_To get you through the darkest night!_

_AH, HA, AH, HA! Cha-La!_

* * *

In the present, Goku was ready to fight Vegeta. Again. Gohan and Goten stood well away; they knew to not get caught in the attacks fired between the only two pure Saiyans of Earth. Six of the seven Chaos Emeralds along with the Master Emerald were next to a set of three tall oak trees, never out of anyone's sight.

The two elder Saiyans stared each other in the face, both getting into familiar poses.

"This is just like how we first met," Goku recalled, memories coming right to him.

"What? This is nothing like back then!" Vegeta refuted. "You're preventing me from getting what I want!"

"That's exactly what I mean!" the orange gi wearing Saiyan returned, getting out his fighting stance. "You wanted to destroy the planet and I didn't let you."

"That is entirely different," the blue clothed, white gloved and booted Saiyan replied, folding his arms and standing straight. "I'm not going to lose this time."

At that final remark, Vegeta charged ahead, trying to strike Goku with a punch. His opponent blocked the attack with a single hand, grabbing onto the arrogant prince's fist and spinning him in a circle, throwing him in the air and attacking with a ki beam.

Vegeta got his bearings and fought back with a purple ki wave of his own, overpowering Goku's and forcing him down. The prideful took this opportunity to fire multiple energy bullets, each one creating massive smoke clouds, obscuring his physical view of the area where Goku once was.

However, his arrogance blinded his ki sense, as when the smoke cleared, Vegeta could quite clearly see that the level-headed one was nowhere to be seen. Turning around, the last thing he saw before being blasted into the ground was a Kamehameha being fired directly at him.

"Vegeta," Goku lectured, watching his durable friend rise up from the dirt. "You're never going to beat me if you fail to keep a level head. That way, you'll be able to sense me faster. Like this, I can easily take care of you."

"Quiet, Kakarot! I _will _surpass you!" Vegeta shouted, surrounding himself with golden aura and transforming into a Super Saiyan 2.

Goku sighed, and followed suit. As Vegeta fired a Final Flash, Goku narrowly dodged and charged a Super Kamehameha, not releasing it immediately. Instead, while Vegeta shot off a Big Bang Attack, Goku used Instant Transmission to teleport behind his opponent.

"Super Kaioken!" Goku yelled, surrounding himself with a red aura to boost his abilities.

Giving away his presence to Vegeta, before he could do anything about his situation, Goku released his Super Saiyan 2 Kaioken powered Super Kamehameha, engulfing Vegeta in whole and shooting him off into the distance. Goku used Instant Transmission to discover where his foe was sent to.

Turns out the fight was now taking place above a peaceful lake. Goku, having just teleported in, quickly noticed Vegeta's ascension to Super Saiyan 3.

"Whoa, you're not kidding around!" Goku grinned, stretching his limbs. "Vegeta, you need to calm-"

Before he could continue speaking, Goku was cut off by Vegeta, who rushed at his rival and began punching him repeatedly, stopping every once in a while to speak.

"Kakarot..." he began.

_CRUNCH! _The sounds of Goku's insides being crushed were sounded aloud, as one punch from Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta got right into the torso.

"Shut..."

_CRACK! _Goku's bones were now being affected. They began to form cracks, nearly being broken. But he hanged in there.

"Up!"

_POW! _One final kick sent Super Saiyan 2 Goku flying through several trees, blood and spit spewing out of his mouth as a result of the incredible attacks.

The fight was only just starting.

_Meteor Incoming_

With Goku, he landed upon a pile of fallen trees, with Goten and Gohan looking over him. Needless to say, the boys were worried.

"Dad...is he gonna be okay, big brother?" Goten asked, sniffling.

"He's gonna be fine. Dad's taken a whole lot worse," Gohan reassured, placing a hand on his little brother's shoulder, calming him down.

With that, Super Saiyan 2 Goku stood up, charging up an extreme amount of ki and transforming into his own Super Saiyan 3 form.

"You two, get out of here. Before Vegeta comes for me. Now!" Goku ordered.

Without hesitation, the two boys followed orders and dashed away. Shortly afterwards, Vegeta surely enough came charging in, shooting several energy spheres that were all deflected easily. Vegeta released a yellow Final Shine Attack, while Goku countered with a Destructo Disk that tore through his enemy's energy attack and struck his chest with great force.

Vegeta used a small Explosive Wave to dissipate the disk, launching a Finger Blitz Barrage. Goku simply used Afterimage to get behind Vegeta, rushing him with Meteor Combination, then a Meteor Impact, finishing with a Backbreaker.

However, the Prince of all Saiyans was not about to let an enemy get the better of him. Again. Vegeta used a Galick Impact, Spirit Breaking Cannon and ending it with a Super Energy Wave Volley.

Goku ended up in the ground, with Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta holding his right arm in pain.

_Hero's Failure_

"Kakarot...you hurt my arm and nearly broke my back! You're too dangerous!" he mocked, quickly powering down to his original base form.

While Goku remained in Super Saiyan 3 mode, Gohan and Goten arrived on the scene, along with all the emeralds in their hands. Save for the Master Emerald - it was being dragged around by Gohan.

"Boys! Give me...give me those emeralds! Your father has been beat! I have surpassed him!" Vegeta bragged, coughing blood. "Give them to me!"

"No! Never! Daddy says you'll use them for evil!" Goten refused, gripping onto the emeralds hard.

"Your father's wrong...give them to me, or else I'll fight you myself!" Vegeta demanded, attempting to charge ki.

Nothing was coming out.

"You're at your limit! You cannot possibly hurt us," Gohan noticed, grinning. "Besides-whoa!"

Gohan was interrupted by a golden dragon tearing right through Vegeta and the surrounding forest, blowing down the trees with immense force. While the two boys could tell Vegeta was done for after what just happened, they noticed their father stand up.

Only one thing was odd. Goku seemed...perfectly okay. Like he had just woken up or something.

"Dad! Are you okay?" Gohan asked, still holding onto his emeralds. "I thought Vegeta beat you..."

"What? No...he couldn't beat me. When you two left, Vegeta and I continued to fight, until he knocked me down," Goku explained, scratching the back of his head. "When he had his back turned, I used my telekinesis to bring me my bag of Senzu Beans, instantly restoring my ki and making me feel better."

"But what about the cool dragon that attacked Vegeta?" Goten continued, suspicous.

"Easy. That was because of my Dragon Fist - an attack exclusive to the Super Saiyan 3 form. After I ate a Senzu Bean, I checked to make sure I was still in Super Saiyan 3. I then launched Dragon Fist and powered down," Goku added. "I got the Senzu Beans when I went to deliver the light blue Chaos Emerald to Luster."

The two half-Saiyans were relieved to see everything was alright.

"That last attack must have been enough to calm Vegeta down. Or at least, his ego. For now," Gohan stated, staring at the area where the prince was blasted towards. "For a minute, I was sure he had you beat."

"Same! Glad you guys came along when you did!" the loveable Saiyan laughed. "Now we should be alright to wait for Luster to come out of the chamber. Just wait for Vegeta-oh, that was quick."

The staggering prince was completely and utterly unable to battle. He was hunched over, walking slowly and grunting with every passing second. Many bruises and red patches where punches once struck were littered around his body, as pieces of his clothes had been ripped off.

"Kakarot..." Vegeta grunted, still alive.

Without any thought, Goku grabbed a Senzu Bean and threw it at Vegeta, who instinctively caught it and stared at it for several intense seconds.

Vegeta was confused, yet not surprised. A part of him wondered why he wasn't killed and another part expected this from Kakarot - Goku's Saiyan name. Perhaps it was the longevity of their rivalry that caused the prince to consume the bean, healing his wounds in an instant.

Now he had his answer.

"Kakarot, I am not surprised you helped me. You've shown me the greatest compassion - except maybe for Bulma - anyone has ever given me. I'm glad to have you as my...rival," Vegeta said, smiling slightly. "But don't think this ends our rivalry! I'll still try to surpass you, no matter what! I'll just rely on myself and MYself only to train. Whenever I get free time, I'll be training. One day, I'll defeat you in battle."

"And I anticipate that day, Vegeta," Goku returned a smile, as his greatest rival flew back to his home. "That's that done. Now we just gotta get these emeralds back home!"

"That's no problem for you, right dad?" Gohan chuckled, enjoying this moment. _Not every day are dad and Vegeta this happy. Maybe they'll finally settle down with their families..._

"Of course!" Goku replied with a grand smile, walking in between his two sons.

The two boys made contact with their father while holding onto the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald. Goku then teleported away using Instant Transmission, bringing the legendary gems with them back home.

Another day, another battle. A day in the life of Son Goku.

* * *

_Our world is under a grand spell,_

_As I sit right here and wait on for you,_

_Keep relyin' on you to keep me strong,_

_Without you there, life is a living hell._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how, to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_When I'm alone_

_I have to dream to see_

_When I am alone in the empty room_

_To know what's it's like_

_To be strong_

_On my own...lonesome._

_Beyond the world there exists_

_A being, capable of such grand power_

_I wish I was that being, oh I do_

_So I won't, have to cower._

_When I'm alone_

_I weep and cry, in the corner of my mind's deepest depths_

_I do not know how to survive, learn to be strong by myself._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(help me)_

_When I'm alone_

_Must train everyday_

_When I am alone on the lime sofa_

_What's it all about?_

_To be strong_

_Must train...everyday._

_In my dreams_

_In my wildest dreams_

_I find something new_

_Bestest friend._

_Blue hero_

_Yellow flying fox_

_Then, there is me_

_All alone._

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Until our peace is disrupted_

_My sorrow is what I yield, I remember what, happened then._

_(oh back then)_

_You're out there_

_On the battlefield_

_Before that one moment when time stops_

_My sorrow is what I yield, back in the past, I was hopeless._

_(goodbye)_

* * *

_**Author Notes**_**: That's the end of that Goku and Vegeta sub-plot. For those of you asking why Vegeta was acting 'evil', hopefully your questions have been answered.**

**Don't forget to follow and favourite me and the story! If you really enjoyed the read, and me in general, recommend me to anybody you know that might be interested. It'd help me out a lot! Also remember to review!**


End file.
